"to the kid with the unspoken prayer requests. to the kid who just wants to make his parents proud. to the kid who writes it down in a journal and then scribbles it out-time and time again--so nobody can read it. to the kid who is scared to death of hell. to the kid who nobody really knows. to the kid carrying mountains of shame. to the kid who sometimes would rather not be alive. to the kid who becomes so calculated in the way he walks and talks and dresses. to the kid who shrouds himself in success and in a good reputation. to the kid who is "too sensitive". -bjb I heard someone say it's not as much "coming out" as it letting in. So today, on this last day of Pride, 2024, I'm letting you in to my story. To every parent, pastor, friend or complete stranger who excluded me for who I am, either by their words or their silence, you don't get the last word. To every beautiful human who has spoken into my life with love and affirmed me for who I am, thank you. A million times over, thank you. You literally kept me alive, even when you didn't know you were. Someday, hopefully in the not too distant future, we won't have to come out to each other, or at least not in the same way. There just won't be the amount of bigoted and hate-filled queerphobia that pushes people into the closet or into a grave. So this one's for you, little Zach. P.S. Comments are off for right now for obvious reasons. But if you want to send love my direction, hit that ♡ button and know that I feel it. 🫶🏻