I was not originally from Cincinnati; I was from a small conservative town of about 2,000 people with five stop lights and dial up. This town was called Georgetown, a town rich in Underground Railroad history and Ulysses S. Grant’s childhood (you know, the guy on the 50 dollar bill). This history shaped a lot of my passions and my sense of morality.
Then the day I turned 12 everything changed. That damn bible verse, “Shit, I’m in trouble this time; I think I’m going to hell?!?” That day I grew up and childhood was over. I hid everything about me and became “a man”. I lost three years of my life to depression & suicide attempts. One day I got tired of being alone and trying to be someone I couldn’t be for this god. I came out to my parents at 15. Mistake. They checked me in to the first ex-gay counseling clinic they could find. I sat in my bedroom and did the only thing I could do then… count the days down till I could leave.
By the time I turned 17 I became a bit more rebellious and started running away with cute older boys to the city. Cincinnati, it wasn’t Queer As Folk or anything, but once I got a taste of that city life I would never be the same again. When my parents caught me eventually, I stood up to them for the first time and ran away to my second home, the city. When I finally came back, I promised I would never compromise myself for anyone ever again. My senior year I not only came out, but my hippy English teacher and I started the first Gay-Straight Alliance in our county. The school was in shock with all the queerness and tried to shut us down. But we fought back and changed the student code of conduct to include protections for LGBTQ students.
I finally did make it out of that town but not without leaving my mark there first. I am now a student at the University of Cincinnati, majoring in Sociology and Organizational Leadership. I do activism in my spare time now with being a lead organizer in Impact Cincinnati. Eventually I want to run a non-profit organization for the homeless queer youth in the inner city so that I can be that somebody that I never had as a kid.
Fantastic story.
You (and other readers) should check out http://www.beyondexgay.com
I love your non-profit organization idea…I know slot of LGBT people that need something like that, including myself.
Congratulations Blake. That was a great story. You are a very brave young man any parent should be proud of.
[...] the name of an amazing web site I just ran across. I’m From Driftwood is a collection of true stories contributed by ordinary [...]
My deeest thanks for everything you are doing. I
Blake, you really did leave your mark on this town. I’m glad you started Diversity Club, it helped me to be proud of my sexuality and I know it helped John, also. You should come and visit us sometime, I would love that. Great job on this. ^^
Blake, I am from right up the road in Mount Orab and I can relate to the pressures in which growing up in such a closed-minded place put on a child. I only recently came out to my parents, and I’m 22 years old. I’m so proud that you had done so much for Georgetown, as I was almost recruited at starting a GSA while working at Western Brown High School; sadly a tutor can’t hold the position of faculty advisor, but I know that there are people who are affected with your mark left on Brown County. Thanks for being amazing, and I hope that only great things come your way.