That Was Then
By Kellie Powell
Seth is a gay high school student who is somewhat "out" at school, but completely in the closet at home because of his homophobic parents.
SETH:
I told my dad about how David and I were walking through the hallway and one of the jocks came up behind him and yelled, "Fag!" And my dad asked me if David was. And I was just, like, "Yeah, David's gay." And my dad asked me why I would be hanging out with someone who is gay. And I didn't say anything, and then he said, "Seth, you're not gay, are you?" And for a minute, I wanted to tell him... you know... everything. But then he looked at me, and he was actually serious, and... I thought he was going to cry, or something. And he said, "Seth, please tell me you're not gay." And I just looked at him, and said, "No, Dad, I'm not gay." And he breathed this big sigh of relief... And I tried to just think about how in another two years, I'll be able to leave home, and support myself, and I'll tell him, and he'll just have to deal with it. But until then, I have to keep lying so they don't throw me out of the house.
