WP: (Young and Gay) In the Bible Belt, Acceptance Is Hard-Won

[kskiska]

Sunday, September 26, 2004; Page A01

Michael Shackelford slides under his 1988 Chevy Cheyenne. Ratchet in hand, he peers into the truck's dark cavern, tapping his boot to Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" drifting from the garage.

Flat on his back, staring into the cylinders and bearings, Michael fixes his truck like he wishes he could fix himself.

"I wake up and I try so hard to look at a girl," he says. "I tell myself I'm gonna be different. It doesn't work."

Michael is 17 and gay, though his mother still cries and asks, "Are you sure?" He's pretty sure. It's just that he doesn't exactly know how to be gay in rural Oklahoma. He bought some Cher CDs. He tried a body spray from Wal-Mart called Bod. He drove 22 miles to the Barnes & Noble in Tulsa, where the gay books are discreetly kept in the back of the store on a shelf labeled "Sociology."

(snip)

For Michael Shackelford, blond and earnest, the question of salvation is a serious one. But his concerns about eternal life are eclipsed by the here and now of being a gay teenager in the rural town of Sand Springs, west of Tulsa. There are only a handful of openly gay students at Charles Page High, and they are subject to ridicule and vandalism. This year, they also became a convenient outlet for the fury against gay marriage, which is why Michael wanted to keep his sexuality a secret.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49856-2004Sep25.html

[Raster]

1. Well worth reading. Reminds me of growing up gay in mormon Arizona...

What a story. What a kid. Read this. This is the face of gay youth struggling to survive.

[DemoTex]

2. Strong stuff ... hits home.

My gay brother and his partner were pictured in the New York Times (sports page) last week. Druid Hills in Atlanta. Know what I mean Vern?

[Maat]

3. Thank you very much for the link.

I have some relatives that live near there (in Oklahoma). This is a powerful article ... this ol' social worker really appreciated it.

[Not Me]

4. Wow, few people understand what it is like

for these kids. God bless him...I look forward to reading the rest of his saga.

[Rowdyboy]

5. Wow...Thank you so much for posting this

It is absolutely brilliant-I can't wait to read the rest. This kid breaks my heart because he could be me 33 years ago.

[2Design]

6. takes a lot of courage to be true to yourself - especially in trying

times and with so much hate legislature being driven by people who say they are christian but who don't practice christ teachings

[RobertDevereaux]

7. Kick!