My parents are remodeling my brother's and my bedrooms, and in order for them to proceed with their big plans, my brother and I had to clean all our old stuff out.  They've been threatening us with the big remodel for years, but my brother and I fought it off as long as we could, always claiming to be "too busy" or promising we'd "do it next time I'm in town" or something of the sort.  But hammers and saws in their hands, and conquistador-style looks on their faces, they finally beat us at our game.  We were both summoned back to the suburbs from where we grew up, back to the home in which we were raised, back to the bedrooms from within we wiled away the hours dreaming of a greater life; and we brought a close to those childhoods, dismantling the shrines we had built for ourselves over our adolescent years.  Those two bedrooms--time-capsules for the glory that was Joey and Dan Renzi--have remained untouched for well over a decade, preserving memories and collecting dust.  But all things come to an end, and that end can often herald in a era of your parents' new office.

Down came his posters of Corvettes and Lamborghinis; down came my posters of Madonna and...more Madonna.  His headboard, in the shape of a ship's steering wheel (there must be a name but I don't know what it is) was put out for a garage sale; my postcard collection, picturing exotic-sounding places like New York and Los Angeles, was picked off the walls card-by-card.  And buried in boxes in our closets we found some baby pictures, having not yet been organized by my mother in her already-countless family photo albums stored downstairs.  They made me laugh.  We were both really weird kids.

I have, on occasion, been accused of being slightly dramatic, or perhaps a smidgen emotionally over-the-top; some people have wondered if my flamboyant personality is simply an affection to gain attention while hiding my true personality.  Gay people often face such allegations, due to a somewhat-common prevalence of stereotypical mannerisms, speech patterns, and personality traits that our heterosexist society finds unacceptable--and, for some reason, it is presumed we behave that way by "choice."  I can't defend myself against such allegations, as it is impossible to convince someone of your true motivations when they have already decided they have nothing more to learn about you.  I can only insist that I have always been this way.  I have always been loud.  I have always been dramatic.  I have always been flamboyant, even before I knew what being "gay" meant.  This really is as socially-acceptable as I can get.

So in honor of accepting ourselves as we are, and never bowing to societal pressure to behave a certain way, allow me to present the following as proof that "I Am What I Am,"  I have always, always been this way...

...and I always will be.

Thanks for reading.  Hugs.

Comments

[Luka]

such a beautiful smile :) then. and now :)

[Julie]

That is the cutest picture Dan. You were such a cuttie then and now. Thanks for sharing your life.

;)

[Kayleigh]

you're so freaking adorable. :)

[Cristina]

That looks like you, and it should.

[Chett]

Haha, that picture is adorable. You had quite the mischevious little grin when you were younger. I'm pleased to see that you've still retained it. ;)

[COOKIE]

I LOVE BIG GAY DAN
DAN THE MAN

KISSES,

COOKIE MONSTER ON CRACK

[Coriander]

'Ship's Wheel' is all you need to say!

[Dunner]

Great post, Dan. Thanks for the smile.

[Mimi]

Oh I just wanna give you a big ol' hug and kiss on the cheek. Too freakin cute!

[AyEnDeeAreEeAyAitch]

Fuckin-A! Aren't you such a little man with that curly mop. If i was your momma I would squish the shit out of you...you were that cute!

[glutterbug]

When I was growing up, I used to help my cousins H and R dress up as girls, and we would play cinderella and they would be the fairy god mother or the ugly sisters. I of course would be the director of the play. Which left S who would play the prince and every other male character in the whole story as none of us wanted to. When R finally came out, one of my aunts confessed that she "knew it since you were kids" i asked her why, and she said, "Because everytime I walked into that house, R and H would be playing with scarfs, and dancing around the place. In fact, R would ask me to do his hair in pig tails and help him dress as a little "mui gei" (young maid girl).

Yup. You were always exactly the way you are now. I so believe you. :)

yan

[Wickwire]

AAAAaaaw, I wanna pick you up and cuddle you! (the baby pic I mean). Such a cutie, do you ever stop smiling?