My best friend is gay. He and I enjoy gossiping about guys, clothes, and how annoying some people get. We love shopping together, picking things out for each other and then laughing at how ridiculous they look when we try them on. We’re inseparable, even when we argue. We’re completely comfortable with each other.

When I first met him, I thought he was loud, obnoxious, and hyper. We instantly got along. He never said he was gay, though me and a friend suspected. And when he told me he was, I didn’t really care. He was a great friend and whether or not he liked guys didn’t affect my opinion of him. It wasn’t the first time I had been exposed to homosexuality.

My mother, whom I love dearly, is lesbian. She’s been “out of the closet” since I was five. I had learned to accept homosexuals at a very young age, for which I am thankful. So when I met my best friend, I took pride in being with him. And when he decided to come out to everyone else, I was there with him all the way.

Since he came out, he has lost no friends. All of them have learned to accept him the way he is. Even those who once claimed that it was “wrong” gladly hang out with us. To me, this is a small win for the gay community. Maybe one day we can see this happening in every school, every workplace, every city