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Carly França's avatar

Damn Brenden, I needed to see this written to realize it in myself.

Thank you. 💜

“In high school, I had been so fixated on straight guys for one simple reason: I did not like that I was gay, so I couldn’t like that quality in someone else, either.

Convincing myself that this straight guy loved me felt like a relief. I was now allowed to go back to hating my gayness.

He was straight; I could simply love him instead of myself. It was like a relapse; after all the work I put into coming out, I didn’t have to finish the job and start loving other gay people.”

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Brenden O'Donnell's avatar

Ahhhh Carly I’m so glad this resonated with you! That was one of the hardest paragraphs to write and you’ve made it worth it. 🥰

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Anthony DiPietro's avatar

Love seeing my friend Brenden here to share such a deep, well crafted, relatable story of your self and your journey. Reminding us that coming out isn’t the end of a process, it’s a beginning. A wonderful story that I’ll return to. ❤️

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David P Bangtson's avatar

Just wanted to let you know I enjoyed your story very much.

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Ty (He/Him)'s avatar

Well now I want to hear the songs, Brenden!

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Jerry Portwood's avatar

so thrilled that you shared this story with us at The Queer Love Project, Brenden! now we just gotta get you to do the questionnaire 😃

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