Jericho Diary: That Sounds Gay!!

Somehow, the Dance Brothers have gone from a boy gang to a LGBT Ambassador. Oh yeah, and I’m the one who started it.

At first, I didn’t mean for this to happen. Of course, I do think Homophobia is stupid and annoying, and I did write the essay about it. But, I didn’t mean for any of my friends to read it. And I certainly didn’t intend to be the first freshman with a front page story in the Bear News.

But, here I am.

It started with Harper publishing my article (did I mention, the front page?!). I could barely finish reading my own words on the page before Pearl and Malachi (or, should I say, Malachi 2.0) were leading a boycott out of Home Ec class. Before I knew it, Jaden was in the library telling us his friends were ready to petition and protest. He asked for my ideas. He was I was the voice of the movement.

I didn’t feel ready to use my voice. I mean, I’m Jericho. Just a quiet freshman, happy to keep to myself and my best friends. Then, I think about the fact that just a few months ago, I was singing and dancing onstage as the surprise lead in Mamma Mia. Malachi went from conforming to the Bullies to making her incredible speech at the Homecoming Dance, and now he even broke into the principal’s office to announce our protest. It’s kind of crazy to think about how you can become almost a different person, doing things you never thought you’d do, in such a short amount of time. But, I guess that’s high school.

The more I thought about it, the more I started to feel ready. That’s why I told Cortez: I guess I’m a Ambassador. I mean, I am a Ambassador. Gay black people including the minority community get killed everyday just for being gay. We don't need to be segregated just for liking boys. We can't even be free to be ourselves to the straight community without being judged when we walk through the door.

I want to stand up for my beliefs. I want to be strong, and fierce, and independent. I wonder if you ever feel confident, like you’ve made it and you can do anything. Or does it just come to you by doing the things that feel right, even when they’re terrifying? I guess I just have to keep going. Wish me luck!

♡, Jericho.