Shaquea Moore originally posted this story on another site. I was so moved that I asked her permission to repost it here for two reasons. 1. I believe someone in our community might need to hear this, and 2. so straight people know that the gays go through the same things they do. The more we realize that we have the same wants, dreams, and fears, the closer we'll come to bridging the straight-gay gap.
So I asked a young lady out. I figured she might say no but felt it was worth the risk. She surprised me with an acceptance, though I could tell it was tentative. Ultimately, she waited a day before going back on the offer. Quite diplomatic of her. But, for some reason, her rejection remained on my mind.
In 2010, I made a decision to
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2011.