By

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My full internet name is Pixine Coby Blue Briderly. I was born, sex-wise, as a girl. I was dressed in pink and tutus when I was young. I attended dance class with lots of other pink-adorning little girls. I was innocent, care-free, and gleefully happy.

I didn't even have one clue that the word 'gay' existed.

I guess the first influence of that gorgeous three letter word in my life was when I found out that a couple living a few houses down the street from me was gay. I didn't really know what it meant, so I went on with my life. Now, as I sit here writing this, it absolutely kills me that for years their two beautiful little children never told anyone that they had two daddies. It was always, "I live with my dad and my... Um... Uncle." That just breaks my heart.

If you're gay, bi, pan, a, q, etc. you should shout it loud and proud! You should be recognized by this heterosexual dominant society. Understand that you can love who you want to, and do it unconditionally. There should be no barriers.

As for me? I sort of found myself at the beginning of my seventh grade school year... Which was just last year (Yes, I'm extremely young; only 13). When my friends asked me for the first time after my 'secret' leaked, "You're gay?" I flinched. "Yes?" I would whisper. "I think..."

Being part of this community has had the biggest impact on my life. If someone wants to know who I am, I tell them, "Me." For a while (leading up to this summer), I defined myself as genderfluid asexual panromantic. But I've definitely realized that I don't need to have labels to define myself. I'm so young, I shouldn't say, "Hey, I'm gay!" And engrave it in stone. I don't really know what I am, and it's sure to change in the future, but I've stripped myself of labels. For now, I'll live my lovely, pit-soaked, oil-faced, nightmare of a teen life and take on whatever comes at me. "Me. I'm me."

And to those two kids who still live down the street from me, tell the world, "My fathers love eachother. And nothing else should matter."