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Tiffany Rittenour Mr. Harrell English Comp. 1 4 November 2013 I am Not Different The term gay can be defined as being attracted to the same sex. Being happy will also be found in the dictionary under gay. If being gay makes a person happy there should be nothing wrong with having attraction to your same sex gender. People think gays are not the same, but Chad Morrison was very clear when he said he is not different. Chad said: The only thing different about me is my sexual intercourse preference. Im classified as different because I am not afraid to be who I am. I am a normal boy. Boys are known to be tough bad asses, but in reality thats not who they all are. Friends would describe me as kind, funny, ambitious, nice, and outgoing. If knowing who I am makes me different than Id rather be different than pretending to be someone I am not. I have been there and I dont want to go back. Before coming out of the closet I was unhappy. When being gay has so many other factors, it is hard to come out of the closet. Some accepts and learns to adapt to the thoughts of people being gay. While others still hates on them, calling them faggots, and homos. You have to decide whether you want to live behind the doors and hid who you are to avoid the hurtful comments or if you want to take the step out and stick to whom you are. While it may be hard, there are many benefits to coming out.

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Not living behind closed doors opens your life to many new chances. You wont have to act like someone you are not anymore. You no longer have to please everyone else. All that matters is your happiness in the end. While it may sound selfish, its the truth. Being happy for yourself doesnt make you selfish. Ones who truly love you will accept you the way you are. Although Chad has not directly sat down with his parents and said I am gay, he knows that they will still love him. His parents are not the type to judge. He feels like it is obvious to his parents that he is gay but they ignore it. They dont ignore it because they frown upon it, but simply because they understand Chad will tell them when he is ready. In high school, Chads parents allow him to do a lot. He is allowed to stay at both boys and girls house. He doesnt want to come out to his parents because anything to change. Chad values the time he will spend at Springfield High School and wants to live the memories to the fullest. Chad said: I will live life every day and deal with whatever comes along. I was scared at first. After a long walk around by neighborhood at midnight, I told the first person that I was gay. I was terrified but for the first time I felt free. I was in 7th grade and gay. It took me about a year to finally accept the fact that I was truly gay. I lost multiple friends. I wasnt completely alone but at times it felt like that. At first, the name calling was hard to deal with but now I have learned to ignore it. Surprisingly in high school the name calling let up. The current generation has become more accepting and is more mature on the aspects. High school friends come and go no matter what your sexual preference is. Change is a part of life. Every day in the world something is changing. It is not only with friends but with the news, jobs, taxes, and laws too. One law that has been changing is the law on gay marriage. Gay marriage is not legal in Ohio. Even though it is legal in some states it doesnt

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matter to Chad Morrison. The importance of love to him is being with who you want to be with. Having his name and his partners on a sheet of paper isnt going to make him love his spouse more or less. Chad would love for gay marriage to be accepted but he understands the reasons it is. Morrison said, In my mind honestly some people dont want it because they want our world to keep reproducing, I feel like if the government opened up gay marriage a lot more people would come out and be who they truly are which would upset and offend people. He feels our society is to judgmental for everyone to be okay with every little thing that happens in the world. Not everyone has to be the same. Even though Chad is gay, he is the same as you and me. Outside of school Chad spends time with friends. His friend circle is made up of mostly girls. Guys are cool with Chad until he asks to hang out one on one or when they are in a public place. The boys think if they hang out with a gay kid that others will think they are also gay. It bothers Chad that people cant be real with him. Chad knows that the ones who are there for him all the time through gay or straight are the ones he can count on. If it just so happens that they are all girls, then they are all girls. After all he feels he relates to them more. After talking to Chad about the topic of being born gay or learning to be gay, he was very definitive in his reply. Before even finishing the question he interpreted and said Born. This topic is very on edge. It is split on who thinks it is a born trait and who thinks you choose it. If you choose to be gay, you would pick to have all the problems that come with it. You pick to have to face being called a faggot, losing friends even possibly being disowned. Why face yourself with these things if you dont have to?

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Chad Morrison said, My Grandma told me that everyone is born with female and male hormones and/or traits and some people just adapt more to the female traits and thats what happened to me. It may not be a proven fact but Chad believes it. Being gay was not a choice. Several times Chad repeated I know who I am. It doesnt matter to him that he is gay. He likes other boys but so what. No one can prove to him what is so wrong with it. Men were made for women according to Gods word. Chad thinks him and God are very close. Every Sunday you will find Chad at church. His goal is to become as close with God as possible. Even though the bible says being gay is wrong, Chad stills loves and follows God. To some, this may seem crazy. Chad believes that God will accept him the way he is. He is still one of Gods creations and equal to every one of us. Nothing can change Chad. He cringed at the topic of counseling. He has NEVER thought about it and NEVER will. Chad said, I am me. Coming out has made me the person I am today. At times, I do wonder what life would be if I hadnt came out of the closet but it I had to choice to fall out or accept who I am. While sitting at Springfield High school learning about Chad, I found out that he is driven, motivated student. Chad is currently enrolled in the post-secondary program through the University of Akron, and AP classes. Grade wise, Chad holds an A, B average all year. His grades are hard to keep up with all of his extra activities. Chad is the president of the Spanish club. Also, he is three year member of the Spartan track and field team. In track Chad is a thrower. His favorite thing he participates in at Springfield High School is the marching band. Friday night, he loves the thrill of the halftime and pregame shows. Third quarter when the

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cheerleaders come down to the band stands Chad is the one going absolutely crazy. Band his is passion. After high school Chad is unsure of his plans for college. As far as a major goes, he is one hundred percent positive it will have to do with music. He is currently considering music education. Chad is only a junior and still has some time before having to make a final choice. You know Chad loves music by the way he talks about it. He is so passionate about the music. He plays the trumpet. When talking about college selection Chad said, I want to stay in Ohio just because I want to be able to come back and do the alumni nights for the marching band. Friend, Kaylee Butler states Chad is a true Spartan. Chad is a true, genuine person. Not only is Chad genuine in friendship and band, he is genuine with who he and that is the most important. Hearing Chad speak about his life and the struggles he faces with being gay; you realize that he is literally no different. If people took the time to get to know every single type of person; they world would be more equal with each other. Seeing someone in the hallway or on the street doesnt mean you know them. Take time to get to know someone you are unfamiliar with. It is worth it. Not only will you learn a lot about them, you will learn things about yourself. If after talking with a gay guy or lesbian girl, you still are not comfortable around them, it is not a big deal. Talking with them however should be able to teach you to give the respect the gay and lesbians deserved. They are not rude to you because you are physical and emotionally attracted to the opposite sex, so do not do it to them. Chad is an amazing person. He encourages everyone to be happy and live life to the fullest. Everyone could use advice from my good friend, Chad Morrsion.

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Morrison, Chad. Personal Interview. 23 October 2013