Drunk Blog about Gay Kids

So, my friend, who is a single mother, has a son.  She is concerned he might be gay.  He's six.

Yesterday, she asked me to ask my gay friend when he knew he was gay.  She's not worried because she equates gay with abnormal.  She is just concerned that she might be smothering the boy or making him into something he's not.

She wants to reassure him that if he is gay or ends up discovering his gayness later in life that he still is loved.

Now, first of all, he's a good kid.  A normal boy.

Because I was raised by a single mom without any real positive male influences, she figured I would be an expert on gay kids or at least, some ideas on what single parent boys need.

So, I obliged.  I spoke to my gay adult friend and then shared with her my opinion on such gay matters.

Her son.  He whines a lot.  He only wears skinny jeans and has a passion for pink socks.  His latest request is for mommy to buy him some tight T-shirts.  Let me remind you that he is six years old.  A bit eccentric.  A bit gay.  A bit of a boy who just wants to fit in.

But mom is concerned.  She wants to be prepared in case he does wake up one day and finds himself wanting to play Annie on Broadway.  (because i am straight i know nothing about broadway so I will stick to the Annie reference).

So, I ask my adult gay friend the infamous question:  "When did you know you were gay?"

He replies, "At five, I knew I was different.  Around ten, I knew I liked boys and not girls."

So, I relayed this information to said mom of the alleged gay son.

Mom then asked, "What do you remember as a kid that set you apart from other boys?"

My gay adult friend replied, "Well, I used to LOVE to brush my mom's hair and pick out her clothes to wear."

Said mom of alleged gay son, "Shit!"

Apparently, her son has a lot in common with gay adult friend of mine.  As far as childhood goes.

Let me remind you that her son is a good kid.  She's a FABULOUS mom.  She just wants to make sure she is being a good mom and reassures her alleged gay kid that normal is relative and that she will love him always.

So, as I always do when asked for advice, I draw on personal experience.  As an awkward and confused kid at 12, I wrote Dear Abby.  The letter, I am paraphrasing, went as follows:

Dear Abby,

I am a 12 year old kid without a dad.  I like girls.  But because I don't have a dad and only have a mom, will I be gay?

Signed,
Potentially Gay

She answered me:

Dear Potentially Gay in Arizona,
Statistics show that boys who grow up without dads do tend to grow up gayer than those boys with two parents.  But don't worry, homo, it's no big deal.

Signed,
Abby.

Anyway, because I liked girls I wasn't too worried.  But still, I was afraid I might grow up "abnormal" and end up liking boys instead.

Turns out I didn't.

A lot has changed since back then.  Fag used to be okay to say.  Now, it's considered offensive.  Gays were nothing more than a small minority group.  They were ostracized but considered fascinating.... until you started to actually think about gay sex.  Lesbians, even the hot ones, were considered just as "abnormal".

A lot has changed in society.  Gay is just as fine as being mexican or black.

I don't really know if her kid is gay or will end up gay.  I don't even think it matters nor does she.

I couldn't tell you with full conviction if you are born gay or not.  I'm thinking, you most likely are, but I really don't know.

What I do know is that pink socks are tacky.  Skinny jeans are gay.  And brushing your mom's hair seems boring.