This article was sent from the USA by Jeff for inclusion in issue 2 of the magazine - However it never got printed and will appear in issue 3.

BE YOURSELF Growing up today is like getting stuck in the worst imaginable traffic jam. You're moving along smoothly enough, and then it hits you. Everything starts slowing down. Since you're not moving as fast, you're forced to look out the window. Ideally, you see people just like you. You feel comfortable exchanging the universal "can you believe this?" look, rolling your eyes at them. And you think, "This stinks, but they're in the same boat as me. I'm not alone. They know what it's like, too." Soon, the road clears up and you're back on your way. I wish growing up could be that simple (and better, only make you late to the dentist), but it's not. What makes it especially difficult for many kids and teens is an extremely important, yet exceptionally sensitive issue: sexuality. I'm 17, a senior in high school. I've always known I was a little different than the people I saw growing up. But when I discovered, and ultimately accepted, exactly what made me standout, I was terrified. Two years ago, I discovered I was gay. It was against everything I'd been told, taught and raised for. But it's not like it was my choice. I learned that being gay was wrong, yet I couldn't control it. I tried my hardest to change, only to realize it's impossible. I can say it proudly now: I'm gay. Ask me a year ago and I would've replied, "I'm... well, you know..." I was as terrified by homosexuality as is the person who just stopped reading this article. You see, I want people to understand I'm not just another statistic. I'm a person a teenager, no less who cares about things, about people, about my future. Only one year ago, before I "came out," I was the same person I am right now. Yet that one simple label changed people's perceptions of me so much. "There goes the fag," I occasionally hear behind my back in the hall's of my high school. Nobody ever suspected me before I came out. Nobody ever made it their point to insult me or avoid me altogether. So what's changed? Not me. It's a question that will linger for a long, long time: Why is being gay so threatening to some people?   Frankly, it amazes me when I witness such acts of immaturity. When I told my close friend's at school I was gay, they were shocked, but quickly got over it. My mum said confidently, "You know it doesn't change the way I feel about you." And everyone who later found out supported me. That is, until last month. I was so incredibly amazed at how positively everybody reacted. But I knew the inevitable was waiting: a negative. Essentially, it came in the form of a threat. It was an email from a freshman, claiming that if I didn't "come to school straight, like I knew I could," I would be dealt with appropriately. I wasn't disturbed by any of the unbecoming words that were used in the message. I'd heard them all before. And I didn't feel threatened. I knew then as I do now, there are people who can't, for whatever reason, accept things they don't understand. Why do you think it took so long for me to accept it myself? I still don't understand why I'm gay. Sometimes, I still secretly hate myself for it. But it was either get over it and live a life in which I can find true happiness, or live a huge lie and ultimately die miserable inside. To be honest, I thought about killing myself a few times, briefly. That would solve it all, I thought. But at moments where I found myself in the depths of depression, I saw all the people who would miss me if I were to leave. And all the things left undone that I wanted to accomplish in life. These images, and the hope that people might try to break their fear's and stereotype's keep me going from day to day. My life is finally falling into place and I have the energy to worry about "normal" stuff like getting into college and choosing a career. This year, I'm one of the drum majors of my high school marching band and editor of my school's newspaper. So, you could say traffic is clearing up. I'm travelling toward accepting who I am. Toward accepting and tolerating others. Things don't look so bad anymore. My only wish for the next traveller down this path: think positively. There will always be room for friendship, love or caring in someone's heart for you, despite what it may seem. And for everyone else: the golden-rule. It's just this simple. Treat others the way you expect to be treated. By Jeff Guillaume