Dear young gay person,

My name is Emily--20 years old and I've been out for about 2 years. I'm young and am coming out about the same time as you, so I feel like we can talk about it together.

Dear young gay, it's not going to be easy. You'll come across many people telling you that you're in a phase and that'll make you mad and upset. You'll have people say that they love you, but won't support you anymore. You'll be told by older gays that your struggles are nothing in comparison to theirs--which you'll have to take with a grain of salt. It's true that it is getting easier to come out, but we still have a long way to go. That's why I feel we should talk.

Dear young gay, if you're a lesbian, you will be sexialized in the media and in real life. Someone will likely say something offensive to you--something about them wanting a threesome or to watch you and whoever you're dating do consensual things. Don't listen to them. You are not a personified porn site. Also, lesbians on porn sites are not real lesbians. Just so you know.

Dear young gay, if you're a gay man, you'll probably be labeled as the “gay best friend” and people will ask you to go shopping with them or something annoying. You are more than the “gay best friend”. You are the best friend.

Dear young gay, if you are transgender, you'll probably get a lecture on why you shouldn't be allowed to use whatever room you want to shit in because they're afraid--like, seriously afraid of you. They don't understand you. But, they don't need to. Be you.

Dear young gay, it doesn't matter what kind of homosexual you are, you will face people telling you that you'll grow out of it or that you won't be successful in a business setting or whatever. But, guess what? No one group of people is special. Not straight people, not gay people, not asexual people, not anyone is more special, more important than the other. The word marriage does not belong to the straight people. Know that.

We will strive for equal rights, which as of 2017, we don't have. I honestly don't know that we will have legitimate legal or social equality in our lifetime, but we have come far. Be sure to thank the older people in the LGBT+ community and listen to their stories. We are the new generation that will propel our equality.

Maybe one day people will understand that we aren't scary or special, I just don't like penises...that's literally it. It's okay that they don't support you. We are out here to support and love you in lieu of the others.

We get it.

Emily--a young gay.