Openly Straight

by Bill Konigsberg

“It’s hard to be different,” Scarborough said. “And perhaps the best answer is not to tolerate differences, not even to accept them. But to celebrate them. Maybe then those who are different would feel more loved, and less, well, tolerated.”

When is being gay relevant?

Straight people have it so much easier. They don’t understand. They can’t. There’s no such thing as openly straight.

I don’t think being gay is a curse. Definitely not. But we all know that being open about it comes with a lot of things that make life harder. Even if you have great parents and a school where you’re treated well, it adds stuff to your life. The worst to me is how everybody looks at you differently. I got so tired of being looked at.

So maybe being openly gay isn’t a curse, but it’s fucking exhausting. Always wondering what people are seeing, and feeling separated from so much of the world, that’s hard.

You can be anything you want, but when you go against who you are inside, it doesn’t feel good.”

It’s hard when you open your heart and let someone in and then suddenly they’re not in it anymore. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is; that empty spot stings so bad that you want to find any kind of relief, or wrap yourself up so tight you can’t feel it anymore.

The world needs people who are more comfortable standing still. We keep the earth on its axis when everyone else is bouncing around.