Nic Loves Daniel Truhitte!

I was in love with Rolfe from
"The Sound of Music." Hardcore.

I was around 6 in the early 80's, and I remember watching it on TV with my family.

I'm sure my father saw the shimmer in my eye. But I'm sure he was thinking I wished to be a puppeteer in "The Lonely Goatherd."

Nope, dad. 'Cuz in my prepubescent mind, I was slowly sticking my hands down Rolfe's lederhosen.

Yes, I'm painfully aware my first gay crush is from a musical. And yes, he turned out to be a Nazi. But that's only because Leisl didn't love him right.

Sure, she was pretty or whatever. But in my mind,
I knew that Rolfe was looking for love that only a man could fulfill. A very, very young man from the cornfields of Ohio...

Sometimes at night, I'd imagine him throwing stones at my window to get my attention. But, alas! The horrid reality was that the rural midwest had very few blond, blue eyed, muscly bicycle-telegram boys.

I don't intend to share this crush with many people, because I'm kind of afraid to admit that deep down inside: I really DO like musicals and they really DID shape my life.

Nic - Chicago, IL
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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
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Sean Loves Leonardo DiCaprio!

My first gay crush was Leonardo DiCaprio.

I was in the 6th grade and really didn't have much of an idea that I was gay. At that point in time, the only minority I associated with was the group of kids that only ever wore sweatpants to school.

I remember the Batman & Robin issue of Disney Adventures magazine had arrived at home, and there was an article on Leo, because "Titanic" was coming out soon. And something changed for me that day.

Among all the pictures of George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell in rubber, I couldn't stop looking at the pictures of DiCaprio. It was verging on obsession.

The week after the magazine had arrived, I stayed home from school one day. I was a good kid, so my parents trusted me to be home alone. Well, let's just say things happened for me that had never happened before. And the Disney Adventures magazine was a little worse for the wear because of it...

Sean - Cincinnati, OH
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Jerome Loves Lee Majors!

Lee Majors was my first gay crush!

While Sebastian Cabot as Mr. French, and Patrick Duffy as "The Man From Atlantis" sparked some interest, the sustaining crush fire happened when I first saw Lee Majors in his bionic, superhuman state. With all that running in slow-mo, his open shirt and chest hair revealed, accompanied by cool sound effects.

I was a bit suppressed by a religious upbringing, and didn't know I was gay until I was 34. But looking back, I know he lit that fire. I bought his lunchbox, and started calling myself Steve "Ostin" on my assignments in 2nd grade. 

I was 7-years old.

Maybe it was innocent, as I was so young. But watching Lee Majors in that role for several years, influenced the kind of man that I would come to admire and love:

Heroic, selfless, strong. And, hairy.

Then, while I was still impressionable, he became "The Fall Guy," the life of a Hollywood stuntman.

And he just got hunkier. 

That hairy chest, devil-may-care attitude, and all rough 'n tumble with a cigar.



The show wasn't that well-written, but I suddenly didn't care about the plot.

I may not have known that I was gay, but I knew that I wanted him to be my best friend. And he's become the model for probably all the other men I've ever been interested in.

Jerome - Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Sean Loves Larry Wilcox!

My first gay crush was Larry Wilcox,
as Officer Jon Baker on "CHiPs."

It was the late 70's, and I was around 7-years old when
I first became mesmerized by his feathered blonde hair and snug-fitting uniform pants.

While most people were in love with his partner Ponch (Erik Estrada), I just couldn't get enough of Jon.

In middle school, "CHiPs" was cancelled. But luckily, every afternoon they ran double
re-runs I could not miss!


Watching them while doing my homework, and drooling over Jon, was my daily routine. And I absolutely hated the seasons after Larry Wilcox left the show.

So by the time I was 12, that obsession pretty
much erased any doubt that I was gay.

Sean - Connecticut
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Click here: "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
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