Paul Loves Prince Eric!

I was 9-years old when Prince Eric from "The Little Mermaid" stole my heart.

He was chiseled, sensitive, and able to maintain a perfect coif at all times - even against strong sea winds!

And of course, he's royalty.

One day, I remember going shopping with my mom in search of birthday presents for my younger sister.

I came across a book of Disney paper dolls. While my sister had no interest in them, I tried desperately to convince Mom otherwise. I just had to have that picture of Prince Eric in his underwear!

I suppose a cartoon prince was the safest crush for a gay, Midwestern boy from a conservative family. I mean, he wasn't even 3-dimensional. 

Sitting in religion class at my Catholic school, I filled the perimeters of my notebooks with doodles of Prince Eric, all the while learning about the "evils of homosexuality."

That year our family took a beach vacation.

I ventured out into the water by myself one evening. With nothing but waves as far as I could see, it was easy to imagine being swept away and washing up on a distant shore.

Someplace where a handsome prince would be waiting to rescue me — and make me "part of his world."

Paul - Columbus, OH
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com