I love you. I love you so much. I know I tell you this all the time, but I don’t think I will ever say it enough. You have been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I cannot imagine being the sibling that disowns the other sibling because of their sexual orientation. After all, you chose to be gay just as much as I chose the size of my feet and the sometimes untameable frizz in my hair.

I wish I could get the world to see you the way I do. Maybe one day someone will invent glasses or something that make it impossible to differentiate between the “gays” and the “non-gays”. Then the world will look past your short hair and “boy clothes” and see the person that I see; the person who is a whole lot more than “gay”.

And maybe someday people will stop using the Bible as an excuse to judge you and discriminate against you. I know what the Bible says, I’ve read it. But I also know Jesus. The Jesus I know would not appreciate people using His word to harbor hate in their hearts against someone else. The Jesus I know would see how precious you are. The Jesus I know does see how precious you are and it’s a damn shame that there are some people out there that still think they have better judgment than He does. They may be familiar with verses regarding homosexuality, but they might want to brush up on what the Bible says about those without sin casting the first stone. Or the one where He thinks it’s a good idea to go ahead and dig the plank out of their own eye, before plucking the splinter out of yours.

Sadly neither of us will see this day, but we can always pray. And we can always make sure that we use every day to share the love that He has given us both and maybe in time, we can change their hearts. But I’ve spent enough time talking about other people, and what I am really here to do is tell you what I think about you.

I think you are awesome. So meaningful and original, right? But really, you are awesome. You have better hair than most guys I know. You also have a pretty good sense of style, too. Not to mention, I never have to worry about you wearing my clothes. Even if you wanted to, you probably wouldn’t because, let’s be honest, look at me…

I think you are strong. You are strong for openly being who you are, knowing that there are people that disapprove. You are strong because you aren’t facing any assault charges for letting those nay-sayers know what you think about them. You’re strong because we have spent hours crying together over bullying and self-hate, but here you are still going. Not many people have made it to where you are, kid, and you should be proud.

I think you are brave. You are brave because, in a world where gay people are the victims of terrorist attacks and hate crimes, you are who you are. You are brave because regardless of the hatred that the world has shown you, you still want to make it a better place. You are brave because you are winning the battle that unfortunately many have lost.

You have given me a reason to be strong. When I see you pushing through the trials of life, I know that I can, too. When life gets too heavy for me to continue carrying and I am just about to drop it, I remember that we are in this together, and I could never leave you behind to fight this battle alone.

You have given me something to be passionate about. Sometimes I might get a little too passionate. When I feel my heart rate soar and my skin flush, I know the conversation I’ve put myself in is not going to end well. Upon meeting someone that would potentially begin a meaningful relationship, I have always asked that person if they were homophobic. If they were, it was automatically a deal breaker. Some people might say that I should not be like that, that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I disagree, I don’t think it is OK to be scared of someone that is different than you, or to be disgusted by them because of their sexual orientation. I think that just makes you a jerk and I don’t have time for jerks in my life.

I have shared your story with so many people because I want them to see the other side of things. I can see how it has changed some people. I have seen you change people. I have seen former discriminatory people fall in love with you and your kind heart. I have seen them go from being the gawker to wanting to attack the gawkers. You have changed the hearts and mindsets of so many people, and sometimes I wonder if that is why God makes gay people. Maybe He makes some people a little bit different to see how His true followers treat them.

I want to end this by reminding you that I love you. I love you and God loves you and there are so many people that really do love you. You are different, but so what? There is no such thing as normal. You have added so much meaning to my life and for that, I am forever grateful. I will never stop sharing your story and I will never stop trying to show the world what I see in you. We have made it so far, why would we stop now?