Hello. You may be wondering why I've gathered you all here... Well, this won't take too long. And I would advise against skimming, because it may just confuse you. ^_~.
Anyway, in case you weren't aware, today--October 11th--is Coming Out Day, the pinnacle of the celebrations of Coming Out Week, which of course is this week. ^_~. Due to the fact that I attend a terribly homophobic college, however, there are no GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered) organizations around, and certainly no celebration or even MENTION of Coming Out Week. As this irritates me to no end, I wrote to a few student leaders at the main campus of my college, and asked them for assistance. Their suggestion? Start a GLBT organization myself.
Anyone who has ever lived in an area populated by homophobics--particularly those of the racist, sexist, "Hey, y'all, let's go out'n try ta hit animals with our trucks!" variety--knows that they can be very...erm...intimidating. As such, I must admit that I'm facing this prospective organization with just a liiiiiittle bit of fear, a smidge of which is directed towards my own personal safety.
But ya know, if there's one thing Nuriko's taught me, it's that there are some things that are worth risking yourself for, and I think this just might be one of those things. I mean, really, a person discovering that he/she is gay faces SO many difficult moments--indecision, shame, anguish, self-hatred, self-doubt... And in this ENTIRE college, there isn't ONE single GLBT organization? Not one single counseling group geared towards helping those people? I don't think that's fair, and I'll do whatever in my power to fix that.
...so, why am I telling you all of this? Why am I wasting your valuable time blathering on about unjust college policies when you could be reading fanfics or drooling over Hotohori-sama? Well, for one simple reason. I'm gay. It's been a long haul, baby, but right now, at this point in my life, I can finally say that terrifying little sentence with certainty. I'm gay. And I wanted all of you to know, because letting people know is a part of the process, and it's a part of helping me screw up my courage enough to tell other people. Important people. People who might very well boot me out of the house for it.
So, yeah, I wanted you to know. And as this is Coming Out Day, it seemed a fairly convenient time to do it. If you wanna talk to me about it, you can send me an email at [email protected], or if you want to talk to me more immediately, you can IM me on my new screenname, Nuriko no Kokoro. Whatever you do, I'd appreciate it if you were polite about it, although of course I can't stop you if you want to avoid politeness. ...but I can sic Kei-chan on you. And I will. ^_~.
~Ryuen, 10-11-02
"Oh, yeah, a few minutes ago we were laaaaughin' and having a good time, and then I mention I'm a lesbian and you're like, 'Ha-ha-ha--HUH?!' Now you're all thinking, "If...if you're gay . . . and I was laughing at you . . . does that make me...gay?" So let me assure you: yes. Yes it does."
Update: The Morning After
Ehehehehe, okay. So, this was me when I woke up:
Me: *smashes hand on alarm* *sits up* *yawwwwwwwn* *yawwwwww--* OHHHHHhhhmygoodness, what have I done!?!?! *runs downstairs*
Ahem. But ya know, I'm feeling better about the decision now. A...a LITTLE better. :P And I was gonna have a nice little links section below this one; I thought maybe there was an organization of gay (and lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered...I should really just write "GLBT," but THAT doesn't take any courage, does it?? Hrmph.) fanfiction writers out there, but I'm really not having much luck finding any. So, ya know what!?!? I'm gonna start my own!
So, consider that a project I'm currently working on. An organization composed of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered fanfiction authors--of ANY fandom, really--where they can discuss things (maybe we can get a nice wittle message board, like on k.o.t.w.a.s.) and gripe about homophobics and just...chat. Lalala. It'll be fuuuuuun. ^_~. And, ooh, straight people can join too, to show their support! Yay. Okay, so that's my new project.
As Mouse-chan says, "Viva la gay people!" ^_~.
~Ryuen, 10-11-02, after a nice long sleep.
PS: The organization spoken of up there--*points*--is under construction, but I've got the front page up. Click here to check it out. ^__^.