I think one of the saddest things I ever read was in a letter from a friend who was coming out to me. He wrote how as a teen he'd had to teach himself how to move and speak in ways that were acceptable to his peers so they would not decide to beat him up for being who he was.

When I thought about the era he was talking about. The boys beating him up would have been cheered on and he would have been left in what ever heap he fell in. No one should have to live with fear for being who they are.