Rick was all county in football and wrestling, president of his school’s student council, homecoming king, treasurer of the National Honor Society, voted biggest flirt and, oh yeah, there’s one thing that’s not on his transcript.

Rick is gay.

Photography by Dan Strange

Now if I mentioned all of the preceding to you, with the exception of Rick’s sexuality, you would immediately think all-American, well rounded, athletic, a ladies man. Instead, you might now be thinking words like fag and queer, all because of one word: gay.

The simple fact is that which sex someone is attracted to has absolutely nothing to do with their personality. A person can be gay and still be your best friend, the leader of the student government or the quarterback of the football team. 

"I dated guys on my own football team," says John, 17, a bisexual. "I’m John before I’m gay and that’s all that should really matter to people who care about me as a person." 

Too true. But way too often we judge people based on how they look -- and which stereotype they fit -- not on who they really are.

That happens to Lauren all the time.

She is a model for a top New York City agency. She stands about 5’ 11", is extremely curvaceous, has ice blue eyes and long strawberry blonde hair. When she walks down the street, she turns heads.

"I was always a lesbian," says Lauren, 20. "I didn’t jump on the wagon because it became the in-thing for girls to do. I mean I’ve been out since I was 16."

"I’m proud of my sexuality, but no one ever wants to believe I’m a lesbian," she adds. "As long as you act according to the standards of society, for some reason, people swear you’re straight."

"No one took the senior polls as more of a joke than me," says Rick, 19, who attends Boston University on an athletic/academic scholarship. "I still can’t believe that I was voted the biggest class flirt. That obviously goes to show that people believe what they want. I was considered a jock and involved, so I guess according to the hoi-polloi of my school, I had to be straight."

It all points to one conclusion – it’s not who you love, it’s who you are. It’s time we overcome the fear and stop the persecution over sexual orientation. It’s time we stop stereotyping people who are gay. In the end, we are all people. 

So does sexual orientation really matter?