Ever since I can remember, I have been a full supporter of the LBGT community. However, I never imagined to be a part of it myself. I am 19 years old, and up until about two weeks ago, I thought I was only attracted to males. Well, I was wrong. I started my summer job three weeks ago, and along with a new job comes new people and personalities to get acquainted with. Like I said before, I’ve always been in full support of the LBGT community, so when one of my coworkers openly told me she is a lesbian, I didn’t think much of it. A couple of days passed as we continued to work shifts together, and I realized suddenly that I thought she was very pretty. I also began to notice that I liked her smile and little quirks in her personality that stuck out to me. Suddenly, it hit me, that I might have a crush on this girl.

Initially, I freaked out. I was supposed to like boys. I felt that it was late to be having a random crush on some girl. However, I allowed myself to think about my feelings. Literally, I just sat by myself for a little while considering everything I was feeling, and I realized that my feelings were so innocent and pure. I also thought to myself, “what would you say to any one of your friends if they told you they were questioning their sexuality?” I knew that I would be accepting and excited for them as long as they were happy. Then I came to the conclusion that I had to do the same thing for myself. I knew that I love myself enough to completely accept who I am, and if that meant having romantic feelings for someone that shares the same sex as me, then so be it.

With this conclusion, I decided to tell the people I consider my best friends what and how I was feeling. At first, I didn’t know how they were going to react, but soon enough I realized how truly amazing the people I have in my life are. All of them made me feel that it was absolutely no big deal, and that they were thrilled for me. I even told a few family members, and they also were great about it. With everyone around me showering me with love and acceptance, I decided to take a chance and tell this girl that I was attracted to her. We are supposed to be hanging out soon, and I haven’t been so excited about getting to know someone in a long time. I don’t know where this puts me on the sexuality line people have in their heads. All I know is that I like a girl and I can see her making me happy.

I still haven’t told everyone that is important to me about this news, and if they read this article, this might be how they find out. However, I’ve come to the realization that this news is really no big deal. Sure, it is a new part of me that I hope everyone in my life decides that they would like to get to know, and I’m sure they will with time. All I know is that I am very happy with this new part of me that I have found, and I’m excited to see where this road takes me with time.

Lastly, I hope that if you are reading this and find that you have ever felt the same way about someone of the same sex as you, that you have the courage to accept that. One of my close friends recently told me that “People love people, not genders," and I found so much beauty in that statement. No one should be ashamed for liking another person, even if that person shares their anatomy with you. Accept and love who you are first, and I promise that the people surrounding you will follow suit.