This is part of my (about) 20 page paper for a grad class I'm taking. The paper will be about labels and what makes someone gay. It's also a personal essay about my experiences with all varieties of "non-heterosexuals". If you enjoy it, let me know and I'll put up some more. If not, well, screw you.

I went to an LGBTA (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender association) meeting to discover what exactly it means to be “non-heterosexual”. As is my habit, I put up an away message for my instant message program on my computer. The first response I see upon returning home two hours later is from one of my male friends that wrote, simply, “gay”. How does one’s choice of meetings make him gay? To take that further, what makes any one gay? Is being gay in a person’s words or actions? Is the title of gay a title that is self-given or one that others put upon someone, either forcefully or as an embrace? Through interviews, research, and personal journals I will hopefully come up with an answer for what makes someone gay. I have a feeling the answer will be more complicated then, “they are boys that like boys or girls that like girls”.
Before coming to a university my experience with anyone homosexual was very limited, and sadly only perpetuated stereotypes. There were people in high school that everyone suspected was gay, mostly because they had the gay stereotype posture or speech. However, there is no way I can confirm anything from that time. Later in life I met “Big Gay” Harold through friends. Harold was about 120 pounds and was only called “Big Gay” as a tribute to Big Gay Al on South Park. Harold was a part of my social circle because he was willing to buy alcohol for all of us while we were under age. However, he also had a disease of the mouth that went unchecked, so unchecked that it was noticeable to anyone talking to him. Harold had an STD that had spread in his mouth, and hadn’t gone to a doctor for it. The disease eventually ruined his gums and led to major oral surgery and dentures. While I felt bad for him, this confirmed one of the few things I had heard about homosexuals. They are sexually promiscuous.