Izik

I am originally from Chicago but I moved to Monticello, Indiana in third grade. Since moving, I have never had any issues in Indiana but I feel like it depends on the area you are located. The area I grew up in was a really small town and there weren't many people. There were like four or five other gay people in my high school but I somehow managed to fit in and have several friends including straight males. My attitude towards high school was that even though you need to be who you are, you also have to understand your surroundings and the people you are with. Knowing what is too far is important so that you don’t make other people feel uncomfortable but in doing so, avoid hiding who you are. In high school I felt able to be more outgoing and that I didn't have to hide anything. But, I also never really took crap from others which I felt people knew so they never made rude comments.

My biggest fear of being gay in Indiana is that someone will try fighting me for my sexuality. I am the type who will ask someone to stop or tell them that they are being rude. But after three or four times I am going to start throwing hands. I know a lot people around my hometown are very closed minded and when they first meet me they try keeping their distance. But once they know me they realize that I am just another person. I feel like my sexuality doesn't really make that big of a difference. You like who you like. You don’t like something because of your sexuality, you like something because of who you are. I choose to dress nice, not because I'm gay but because I enjoy dressing nice.

If I could change anything about my experience in Indiana I would probably have started doing things that I wanted to do sooner. I had always wanted to try cheerleading when I was younger but I waited until my junior year of high school. I discovered that I am actually quite good and I wish I would have started doing that earlier rather than trying to stick to the status quo of things, and just have been myself. I feel most accepted when I am cheering. Whenever I am on stage or something like performing it just clears my head and makes me feel calm. Because of this I am now an acting major at Purdue University. I definitely do not see Indiana as my forever home and I hope to see myself living in L.A. one day.