And although I haven’t heard much from her lately, she’ll still stick out as one of the most surprising people I came to meet in high school. Why? She seemed to be Regina George. 

Except, well…She wasn’t. 

My best friend and I would talk about her the most. We considered ourselves outsiders, and for some reason, that gave us every reason in the world to talk shit about people. We’d make nasty remarks about her  social status and how we assumed she used it to take advantage of those around her. But then I sat down with her during our junior year musical.

Now, let me tell you:

I really wish I had given this girl a chance before high school. When we sat down backstage together, in one of the most unexpected heart to hearts I’ve ever had, she came right out and told me how hard it was for her hear the things people say about her. She wakes up everyday and that pretty girl I used to see only saw her flaws. People talked so much shit about her that every “fag” or “that’s so gay” looked insignificant because I was strong enough to shake it off. She didn’t have that privilege. And even as I opened up to her about my own struggles of being an openly gay high school kid I realized…

I was one of those people.

I’m as guilty as anyone. I used to take pity on myself for being different, yet the “queen” of the school was even further removed, trapped in a constant state or paranoia and surrounded by people she couldn’t trust. And for the first time, I had the utmost respect for her. I misjudged her. 

And I know Tumblr is a sanctuary of homosexual love and support, but let’s not forget something: We’re not the only ones suffering. The world isn’t split between the happy heterosexuals and the unhappy homosexuals. If we for one second think that the world’s problems revolve around us, we are no better than those we despise the most.