Like Harry Potter, I lived in a broom closet under the stairs for the majority of my childhood; and like Harry Potter, magic saved me. However, unlike Harry Potter, my closet is a metaphor, and the magic that saved me was kissing girls. Surprise! I’m gay; insert confetti emoji here. And after all these years of hiding this part of myself, it feels so good to write those words: I’m gay. There’s a certain release of energy a person has after coming out, and it’s hard to get someone to empathize with those personal feelings and emotions. So I plan on using Harry Potter metaphor for my coming out experience, as a means to bridge our mutual understandings of life’s muggle struggles.

For many, growing up gay in a “Straights Only” world is somewhat similar to Harry’s experience with the Dur\ fear of the unknown – simply because they don’t know his strength. Anyone who identifies in the LGBTQ+ community has this extraordinary opportunity to be happy, and make a difference, when he, she, or they come out. But

Gryffindor: Hard Butch

Ravenclaw: Soft Butch

Hufflepuff: Hard Femme

Slytherin: Soft Femme

Ae best you. You have this magical ability to fight to make the world a better place for future kids to come out in. You are magic. I am magic. We are magic.