He stared directly at the floor when he walked down the halls. ‘Don’t make eye contact,’ he repeated slowly to himself. He had never felt like this before. He had never gotten goosebumps thinking about what his parents, friends, and teachers would do if they found out. He was ashamed of something he couldn’t even control.
Michael was gay.
The word ‘gay’ had not been as common as it is now. Many people disrespected you if you even dared to come out of the closet. In fact, he saw people in the halls get bullied each day because they admitted that they weren’t heterosexual, and people felt threatened by them. He would rather push himself away from everyone than admit that he thought about a man in a different way than most. He sat at the dinner table with his mom, dad, two sisters, and his brother Marty, only to be interrupted with a heart wrenching question from his father.
“...Interested in any ladies on your first week of high school?” His father questioned.
Michael chewed his bread, and wished he could chew it forever to avoid answering the question his dad burdened him with.
“Yes, sir.” Michael lied; a large grin forming on his father’s face.
“I
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And I’m not interested in bringing girls over… Ever.”
His mother stopped knitting, and his dad glared into his eyes.
There was a moment of silence. Michael stared down at his lap, and his father turned the television off.
“I don’t want any gays in my house.” he said firmly.
He wished that he didn’t say anything. His mother stepped out of the room in astonishment, and his father went to talk to her.
In an attempt to make things better, his parents seeked help from other parents in the neighborhood. But they made things worse, (without intending to) because once they told other parents, they told their children, and their children shared it around the school. He couldn’t go to one class without getting laughed at in the hallways.
“Homo,” one joked.
“Better get to class, fag.” another called