This is for Bill and those like him who left us too soon
And for Thomas McLauglin
And the kids who stay to fight for their right to be free
“…and a little child shall lead them.”
WARNING! There are adult themes in this story.
Each of us, man, woman, or tweener, has his own coming out experience. Some of us come out without hesitation. Others have a rough road to hoe, while others decide not to come out at all. Each of us finds a way to deal with the hurdles placed in the way of honesty and openness. Some of you may be facing the decision to come out or not as you read these lines.
Billie Joe Walker Jr. comes out hard. The suicide of his best friend, Ralphie, sends him on a journey of discovery that sends his life spinning out of control. He wants to know what it means to be gay. He seeks the ‘gay’ community where he’ll be welcome and accepted as he is.
Ralphie decided not to stay and fight, leaving a note, “I won’t live in a world that hates me.”
And Billie Joe is angry. Why didn’t Ralphie come to him? Why didn’t he tell him that he was gay? He would have accepted him, embraced him as the lifelong friend he was. Billie Joe has another emotion: he’s ashamed for not telling Ralphie that he’s gay. Neither knew about the other because of fear, and Billie Joe is left to pay for their mistakes.
It is time he finds out what it means to be gay and he can’t do it in tiny town, Minnesota.
*****
While My Sixteenth Year is a reflection of what takes place daily in America, there is no depiction of it anywhere in our media. Billie Joe is invisible in the world where he lives. Like Billie Joe, many LGBT youth have no one to turn to and no safe place to go.
This book is especially for and about the gay kids who haunt our streets, whether thrown away or forced out of their homes. We all know growing up gay can be hazardous to your health, because we live in a society that values conformity and not uniqueness or originality. Our street kids are proof.
*****
Billie Joe’s story is told in three books. Each documents a segment of his journey.
The first book — this one — deals with his going in search of the ‘gay’ community. The second, The Return Home, deals with his homecoming for his senior year of high school. Book three, The Center, covers his reuniting with Carl before he returns to San Francisco on a mission to make a difference.
I hope you enjoy one or all of them.
Thank You.
Peace, Rick Beck
My Sixteenth Year is Copyright © 2008 Olympia50
Original edits by BP; revised by LBR and RB.
Final edits — and hours of formatting — by my editor, Gardner Rust.
Thanks to Tracy for her dedicated eyes.
Thanks Lew for caring about the words, and much more.
***
I owe a great debt to the people involved in making My Sixteenth Year better. From Larry Rose, to Bill (BP), to Gardner Rust, each believed and contributed to making it an adventure you can take along with Billie Joe.
Thank you all for helping to get it right.