Are people born gay? They always ask. At what age does a child know they are gay. That is really the question here.
In orther words, can a child differenciate between the lablels straight & gay? I think not. I would like to
inform the reader that there is only one answer to that question. Perhaps by sharing my lifes experience, one
might come to a conclusion for him or herself. So consider this.

When I sit down to write, I sometimes imagine myself standing on an outdoor concert stage before an audience of a
million people asking me "are you gay? and at what age did you know you were gay?" I will do my best to make my
writing worthy of your questions.

Since my writing can only account for personal growth, I hope my writing can change peoples views of the Lesbian
and Gay community. If my writing doesn’t change peoples views, or awareness, then my value isn't being transferred
well at all. Consequently, leaving the reader with unanswered questions. I would like my writing to be of
influence to future generations as well as the present.

I'm writing this article because my purpose in life is to help others become more conscious and aware that there
stands the chance and even the possibility that people are born gay. Take myself for example. My name is Royce. I
am an African American female. I am a Lesbian. I was born and raised in Colorado living with my father. Growing
up wasn’t easy, as I was a preachers daughter. My life and my writing for this article are intricately
intertwined such that it's impossible to separate the two. When someone reads this article, they'll eventually
come to know a great deal about me.

From the tomboyish age of six, I was one of those girls that easily out did the boys in sports. I could out jump
them, out run them, and out throw them. I was more athletic than most boys my age. To put it bluntly, I was the Bully of the class. By that I mean, if I saw a boy picking on a girl, I would in essence rescue the girl by fighting with the boy. In my child like mind, I was sure to win her friendship, and I usually did. I always knew in the back of my mind that I was different than the other girls my age. Not to say the least, I was a show off for the girls. I can remember reflecting on just how pretty a girl looked whom sat next to me in class. But being the age I was, I did not comprehend why I was so very different. Which brings me to my point. How is a child to know why he or she feels a certain way towards the same sex? The answer is that child doesn’t know enough about life in general to even begin to make an assumption much less a conclusion. That child just continues to be his or herself until such time that a guardian/parent realizes their child is different. In most cases when that happens, the guardian/parent begins a personal crusade to change their beloved child which forces that child into being even more different or perhaps something they are not. This is exactly where the term "in the closet" comes from. They literally push the child in such a way that the child ultimately begins to hide his or her true feelings about the same sex. Years of doing this can lead to extreme depression by the time the child becomes a teenager.

Fact. The Universal Almanac listed a total of 4,960 completed suicides among US Gay and Lesbian Youth aged 15 to
24 in 1993. The numbers are probably a lot higher because many of the deaths categorized as accidents are really suicide.

In conclusion to this article, I would like for you to ask yourselves, why would people choose to have a life full
of chastisement, ridicule, mockery and insult. To live a life being forced to learn that what you are is an outcast to society leaving you to feel more ashamed of yourself. To be the object of unkind laughter and obseen gestures. To constantly be belittled and condemned. This is the life of a Homosexual.