For those who hide away and keep the truth secret. I know the pain it must cause.

Looking back at my High School years, I have noticed the interesting number of people who have 'come out of the closet' so to seak. Many of them are perfectly happy becuase they've come out, and don't care how the world sees them. Then again, I also see how many of them get ridiculed for what they are. I also remember being told about a cousin of mine that never told anyone about his attraction to males...and what became of that.

Leonard is a brilliant person. Very smart. He almost became a plastic surgeon. However, being Catholic with a very strict father, he also had to keep alot of things to himself. To hide his secret, he lost himself in books for years during his college days. He passed every class with flying colours. He learned until there was nothing else to learn...and that's when it happened. He suddenly flipped his lid. All the years of holding it in took a hold on his mind...and when he could find anything else to lose himself in, he dropped off the deep end.

Today, he's on medications that help him live and normal life without being violent. He's quiet and tends to stray away from family at the reunions. I look at this family and I see his sister Regina. She's a perfectly happy, openly gay woman. Sure, she had some drug addictions in the past, but that's all over. I guess what I'm trying to get to is this. Don't try to hide from the world. You don't have to admit it on national television, but don't keep it locked in. If you have to, just admit it on a tape recorder. For the sake of your health...don't lie to yourself. Don't try to do things to keep from thinking about it...Be yourself.