   It all started my sophomore year of high school. I came from a family who can be fairly harsh and judgmental at times. I decided to follow my own thoughts, be my own person. I
wanted to meet new people, people I wouldn’t usually associate with just to get a better idea of the world and become open-minded to new ideas and ways of life. Starting to open up and
socialize more with people, became my new interest. I can remember it just as if it were the other day. I met and interacted with the coolest person you could ever imagine. He was tall, brown-
eyed, very humorous and sarcastic, had nice hair, everything that a girl looked for until I started noticing he was different from other guys. From my observations, I noticed that he cared about
his appearance more than other guys and he liked all the things guys would consider “feminine”. The way he talked was different, even the type of music he listened to was different than most of
the other guys I knew. As the years progressed we became inseparable, literally. One day, while engaging in a deep confidential conversation, he told me that he was gay. I felt horrible internally
knowing that he hid this from everyone he cared about because he was afraid of rejection and humiliation.Â
    My friend had hidden the most vulnerable part of himself ever since he was five years old, because he thought he was a disappointment to everyone he had known or cared
for. No one should ever feel the need to hide themselves from others, because of the fear of rejection. Let’s take a moment to reflect shall we? How many of you have ever been afraid to
show a certain part of you, because it broke society’s social norms? Didn’t feel too good, did it? Being comfortable in the skin that you are in, is all about self-assurance. If you aren’t true to
yourself, then are you really living life to its fullest potential? Not every single person in the world will accept you for you, or some of your behaviors, but finding the people that will, are the
ones that truly love you for the person that you are internally.Â
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    My friend’s “secret” became so overbearing that he stopped going to church all together. He felt judged and antagonized by “hypocritical Christians”, as he would call them. As a
Christian, I became offended, but after hearing some of his points, they were valid. As a Christian, we are taught to love everyone and not judge, but we are the main ones who say all
homosexuals are going to hell. God loves everyone, gay or straight, he loves all his children the same. After explaining to him for hours and hours, he told me that I have a good heart and that
I’m not like everyone else who would tell him he’s going to hell or “disgusting” in the eyes of God.
     In conclusion, people shouldn’t cannot judge one another when we live in sin every day. Homosexuals are people just as straights, bi-sexuals, lesbians, transgenders, transsexuals, etc.
Our gender, hobbies, external appearances, do not determine who we are as a person nor the goodness of our heart. Everyone should just love the skin they’re in. I can guarantee that after
showing your true colors, you will find people as humble as yourself. In the end, my friend was MUCH happier once he came out and the friends that were there for him in the beginning, still
were there afterwards. Not only did his friends accept him, but the most important person in his life did, his mother, as well as his entire family. I cannot describe the feeling of joy he had after
showing his true self. Don’t be that person that can’t show their true self or the person who judges people, because in the end, you’re only truly hurting yourself.Â
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