A reader writes:
My God … that could have been me writing this. I remember laying in bed as a 13 – 14 yr old wondering "what am I supposed to do when I grow up" and thinking maybe this void I felt when I looked into the future, was God’s way of telling me I was going to be dead by the time I was an adult, because I couldn’t see myself married.
No child should have to deal with these thoughts. I too submerged myself with overachieving in my studies, a non-stop regimen of extracurricular activities, and a daily battle of struggling to be the perfect over-achiever at everything I did … just to create a diversion to something I didn’t want to address or bring attention to.
I wish those who see "being gay" as just a sexual act would listen and learn to us, and then understand the unnecessary pain they are subjecting struggling teenagers to even today.
Another:
My partner of 16 years and I have a 6 year old son and he asked us recently if "Daddy and Papa" were married. I took a deep breath, lied, and said "yes". I said yes because, for him, our relationship is the foundation of his existence. And, even at 6, he understands that marriage is the way two people come together to make a family. How could I give him any other answer? Hopefully some day our country will make an honest man of me.
The Dish 