i think it would be great to have a GSA but being it's my last year in middle school it's too late for clubs. but i have told my guidence office that it would be a good idea in the future for the kids next year. and when i get into the highschool i am DEFINITELY going to try to start one!

i think what GLESN is doing is really cool. and i really like the idea of the "national day of silence" and i'm handing out flyers in my school and a bunch of my friends are going to participate in that.

My parents don't really know how hard it has been. i didn't really tell them much. my dad actually doesn't even know. but my mom is very supportive of me and has been great since the moment i told her. i do see a counselor. i started seeing counselors in 5th grade cause i have depression. my therapist helps me a lot and is very supportive.now i guess i just have to wait for others to accept me, and if they don't, i don't need them anyway cause they don't like me for who i am.

so what was it like for you at school? did you have a lot of support? did your school have any GSA type programs?

--Still Miserable In Middle School

Dear Still Miserable in Middle School:

I'm sorry that things have been so difficult for you. I think you're extremely brave and very strong for someone so young. It's terrible having to absorb the abuse of your classmates--and it's even worse when it comes from an adult like the security guard. Unfortunately, as you're already discovering, people can be terribly cruel no matter what their age.

Has your mother talked to the principal at your school? The behavior of the security guard was outrageous. And your teachers should be watching out for you. I'm glad to hear that your mother has been supportive and that your therapist has been helpful.

Regarding my experience when I was your age (back in 1973), there were no organizations for gay teens, no one talked about it, no one I knew was out, and if you were someone who was identifiable as gay--and there was only one kid in my middle school like that--then you were the target of some teasing, but not like it is now. Kids weren't as aware of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people as they are now and in some ways, at least in terms of the teasing, it was easier for those of us who were gay/bi who weren't easily identifiable. At some point you may want to read my history book, Making Gay History, which will give you a sense of how much things have changed over time.

The only time I had a big problem (other than my own internal problems dealing with my sexuality) was when I was at summer camp when I was fourteen. I wasn't good at baseball and I wasn't interested in going on raids of the girls bunks, so some of the boys started calling me "faggot." They were relentless and I got very depressed. Fortunately, I was only in camp for three weeks, but I never told my mom what happened (my dad died when I was twelve).

Even when I got to high school in Queens, New York, it wasn't an issue because no one was out, no one talked about it, and there weren't any organizations for gay and bisexual kids. So those of us who were dealing with our sexuality generally had no one to talk to about it and had to struggle on our own. It wasn't until college that I met other gay kids and at college there was a gay student group. And once I figured out how to accept myself and came out, my friends were great about it. Still, it was a lot different when I got to college in 1976 than it is today.

Have you given your mom materials from GLSEN? Do you know about PFLAG? That might be an organization your mother would be interested in knowing about.

I hope you'll stick with the counseling. I've seen a counselor for a long time and it's made a huge, positive difference in my life.

Thanks again for writing to me. Please write again if you have any more questions.