I relate to Chris because before coming out I tried to change my sexual orientation. I tried literally everything. In the process, I made a lot of friends with folks who really were giving it their all to become straight. Guys came from every walk of life and profession, and they represented every type of motivation. Some were just regular macho men who wanted the story-book happy ending. Others were religious zealots who felt that they couldn't be with God and still be gay. Others were in the public eye, and would rather not have to redefine their image to themselves and to their entire world. I was the youngest among these folks by quite a long shot, and indirectly, all of these men were mentors to me. They demonstrated to me the consequences of denying one's self in perhaps the most raw gruesome way. I saw them try and try so hard for so long, "succeed" eventually (i.e. married celibacy), only to later be left by wives who realized that their desire for them would never be truly straight. I would witness them cry their eyes out when they realized they're marriages were over and then later see them lust after a man. Chris struck me immediately as pragmatic and fully honest. He jumped into whatever life had thrown his way and totally engaged the challenges that ensued. Free from any guilt or self-hatred, he seems to have embraced his journey no matter how unconventional it may be.
On to the second blog... I love Erik--really I have no other way to put it. Juggling his parents, academic career, big-man-on-campus status, the older city men, and grad school apps, he's the quintessential over-achiever. Even his family sounds like they are all Type A's! Reading his entries make me feel like it was just yesterday that I was blogging about outings with profs, in-class debates, and the travelings of school breaks. In addition, he's a pleasure to read because well... the writing is just so damn good. Most of all though, I love that his blog epitomizes the way in which the environment of a "rank" university can pull a kid in literally every direction, at time when one is seemingly standing at the crossroads of one's young adult life (i.e. last year of undergrad). Through it all, he manages to juggle the dozens, despite unintentionally teasing a few blue-balled men here and there.
So, here's to the mature and the studious:)
1 comment:
Thanks for the compliments. College is indeed quite fun.
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