It Gets Better

I'm a day late for National Coming Out Day and, a dollar short, as the saying goes. And like Aaron at Axels, Loops, and Spins, I don't like to go beyond the crucial issues such as the basic showgirl diet, where to buy the most outrageous Halloween costume ever, or when the next Ice Capades reunion will be.

But I confess I didn't know how bad it was for teens and young adults that we need to tell them "It Gets Better." The news lately is heart-wrenching. I thought with TV shows like "Will & Grace", "Modern Family" or "Glee" we were showing gays as mainstream. You know, like it really is in the world.

Coming from a world of ice shows, I lived in a world where gay men were the majority. They outnumbered straight men, often by a large majority if it was a large ice show. If I may speak for these gay men, they would probably tell you it was nice to be in the norm, because often where they had come from wasn't. And it wasn't good. Family, neighbors, school kids could be very disapproving.

I wish I could be more articulate and offer a powerful essay on the incredible stories of the skaters I worked with, but I'm better at fiction. What I can offer though is it does get better.