Barton’s story will take you on an up-and-down journey, beginning with optimism…
In this chat room, I met this professor. He became a very influential person in my life. I was excited about this relationship I had with him, and I began talking with friends about him.
…continuing with sadness…
I came home one day…I didn’t want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to be done. I took 17 pills and I attempted suicide. On the way to the hospital I said, “Mom, I want you to see me as your child and not as this gay thing that needs to be fixed.” She said, “You can bring someone home. But I’m not going to let them into my house, I’m not going to let them sit at the dinner table and eat with me. You can be gay. But you’re not going to sit at a table with me.”
…and ending with hope…
My mom, about four months ago, called me from Portland, Oregon, where she had just gone to a drag show. She comes from a very conservative town and the idea of drag terrifies her. And she called me, laughing really hard and really excited about this thing that she had done, like, “Okay, I’m going to try and accept my son in this really strange way by going to a drag show in Portland, Oregon, when he’s in Bloomington, Indiana! That to me was bridging that three year gap that we hadn’t talked about it.
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