BLOOD

TOO MUCH

HAS

ou know what... It does get better, and thats coming from me! But I promise you, it gets better guys and girls and inbetweens. I erm, I realised that I was gay 4 years ago, so yeah Im pretty young, but what people dont know is that Ive been through a mountain of things in that time. But it got better and I cant stress that enough. Too much blood has been spilt, too much has been lost Over the past 4 years Ive spoken to loads of guys about everything you can think of, from coitus to current affairs, and its a different situation for everyone. Some people get to have the loving family, the honest friends and the caring community... For some of us, we get given one of lifes many life skills to be learnt, youre gonna have to do it alone and youre gonna have to find the people that are gonna stand by you. Curiosity did not kill this cat it just pissed me right off But I want you to remember that staying alive and being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transformer, whatever you are... Youve got to get through the

A horrific ripple effect burst through the gay community this year, as 6 gay American youths took their own lives due to homophobic bullying. In a world of repression, LGBT of all ages need to know, it gets better dragged out of the closet instead of coming out. My father (if thats what we must call him) discovered the situation and told me it was his right to let others know. Although Ive always questioned why have we been in a closet? Cant it be some fancy stretch limousine? And when was the last time Timmy sat his mum and dad down for a chat before taking a deep breath and saying Im straight?! My friends are my new family and this is something I urge you to believe. If you feel victimised, alienated or abused by your blood family then please talk to your family that actually love you. My friends have been there for me through the good, the bad and the ugly, and trust me this world aint pretty, except for you, youre gorgeous! A Acceptance & Abuse in this world we all look for acceptance. Thanks to the media, we all aspire to be like everyone else and when youre an LGBT person, thats something you think about, I wanna be just like you, I wanna

BEEN

SPILLED
be normal. This hit many people hugely when the split second gay kiss was pixelated from Katy Perrys Firework music video. My dear friend Matt made me laugh about this by saying When will the world learn you cant be turned gay? Ive watched plenty of straight kissing and Ive not turned, yet. But after a while we realise that if we accept ourselves, then whos right is it to un-accept us? And so the abuse, we all get over it. At the time it really hurts, I know this as I went through countless years of bullying at home and 6 years of it at school and you know you just got to remember that if the only thing a person can say is dark and cruel, then can you imagine how their life is and how it will turn out? I know because I have looked back at the people who have done me wrong and I am MILES ahead of them in terms of a better life and a better... Well a better it gets better life L Love yeah love is something that everyone deserves. Young, old, fat, thin, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered... Its whats within that counts and thats love. Love yourself and others will love you. And yeah youll come along in life in love with someone and youll prey they love you back. But if they dont, youll survive because

FALSE

F Family & Friends yeah my

family werent great about it. I personally felt as though I was

Think of all those people on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart

Erma Bombeck

even just feeling in love is better than feeling whatever it is those nasty people with their hateful comments must feel about themselves. I love my friends, I love my new family, I love my life, I love him... And I love you S School & suicide Ok school is a hard time. Kids are of a whole new generation. In my day we would watch shows like the power rangers and we wouldnt be dumb enough to act things out like jump off a 50 floor building. The kids of today are cruel and they will say hateful stuff and that stuff is what should make you determined to move on and get into university and become a better person; but suicide... Thats not the answer. I know. Ive been there. Ive thought about it. I think about it. Ive even come close to attempting it. But Im not here because of that whole youre only hurting the people you love and who youre leaving behind because you know thats a load of crap... What youre doing is youre destroying the most beautiful, most miraculous thing ever... A life. Youre here for a reason. You beat hundreds of thousands of other sperms to be here... Dont let that go in vain E Escape we all need to escape, but stop! Suicide is not an escape!! My old opinion was that suicide was a permanent solution to a permanent problem and yeah I know people are say but its a temporary solution but unless youve been there you dont know you dont know how it feels, you cant say that. To gay people, that Tim Johnson in the school yard calling you a faggot, a puff, a little back door bandit is actually pretty hard stuff and when he does it every minute of every day, yeah you do wish that the ground would swallow you up. However, you need another escape and that could be through art, music, sport

reading, writing. I personally write and I do art, and I sing sometimes, but it can be anything... You could be 14 years old and still cuddling a teddy bear and talking to it every now and then, just to have someone hear you out... And thats ok, thats how we escape, thats how we go on, thats what I do and Im almost 19! So two final, yet important, messages: To the haters get over it. Were here... were queer... and we aint going my dear To the LGBTs Youre here, Im here, were here, we made it and if we can get through this then there is a lot more we can achieve And if you wanna chat with me then you can. Leave a comment here or catch me in the street and you know, unless Ive got an exam, work or an actually important lesson, Ill drop everything and Ill be there for you. As Erma Bombeck once said, Seize the moment. Think of all those people on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart... The world is your desert cart people!! Dedicated to the It Gets Better Project and in memory of those lost due to bullying http://www.itgetsbetterproject. com/ Who will listen? Is anyone out there going to help me? What do I do now? Why am I being bullied for my sexuality? Get support my lovelies! National Queer Youth http://www.queeryouth.org.uk/ community/ 0208 123 6958 info@queryouth.net

Stonewall http://www.stonewall.org.uk/ 08000 50 20 20 info@stonewall.org.uk The Albert Kenedy Trust http://www.akt.org.uk/ London: 02078316562 pwlondon@akt.org.uk Manchester: 01612283308 pwmanchester@akt.org.uk PACE http://www.pacehealth.org.uk/ 020 7700 1323 info@pacehealth.org.uk Terrence Higgins Trust http://www.tht.org.uk/ 020 7812 1600 info@tht.org.uk The Lesbian And Gay Foundation http://www.lgf.org.uk/ 08453303030 info@lgf.org.uk Mermaids http://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/ 02081234819 info@mermaidsuk.org.uk The Gay Mens Health Charity http://www.gmfa.org.uk/ 020 7738 6872 londonservices@gmfa.org.uk National Aids Trust http://www.nat.org.uk/ 02078146767 info@nat.org.uk