Shannon Loves Ralph Macchio!

My first gay crush was Ralph Macchio
in "The Karate Kid" movie.

He played a young man named Daniel Larusso, who experienced bullying, for being the new kid in town. And I could relate, as I was picked on and bullied a lot at school.

I was 11-years old, and
it was the first time I was physically attracted to anyone. I also knew since he was a guy too, that made me different.

Being raised in in Tennessee, I didn't even know what the word gay meant. But with my crush, it didn't take me long to realize what I was.

I remember asking my mom to buy me one of his posters, and the weird look on her face. She asked me, "Why do you want a poster of him?" and I replied, "Cause I really like him a lot." I didn't realize then that it was strange to her for me to have those feelings. To me, it just seemed natural.

Thanks for starting this blog and allowing me to share this story. It's important that other young people realize that it's natural to have these feelings, whether you're gay or straight.

Shannon - Phoenix, Arizona
________________________________________

Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "Born This Way Blog""
Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin' Tweet Me!