1. Homosexuality is Not a Choice; Homosexuality Chooses You

   Some people say that homosexuality is a choice to discourage you from being in a gay or lesbian relationship. But think about it for a minute. Did you choose to have the feelings of same-sex attraction? Why would you? The fact is: Homosexuality is not a choice any more than being left-handed or having blue eyes or being heterosexual is a choice. It's an orientation, a part of who you are. The choice is in deciding how to live your life.
 

2. Gay People Are Mentally Healthy

   In the 1970's, the American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association revised their positions on homosexuality. Both determined that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. Nonetheless, some people might try to tell you that you are sick and that you need professional help to "change". There is no scientifically valid evidence that people can change their sexual orientations, although some people do repress it. But because being gay is not a disorder, there is really no reason to try to change yourself.

   But it's OK to seek help in dealing with the confusing feelings you might be having about your sexual orientation. Coming out is a major life decision and as with reaching any other personal milestone, you might seek professional help through the process. Just remember: The anxiety you are feeling is probably the result of family or social prejudice against homosexuality, not homosexuality in itself.
 

3. Being Gay or Lesbian is Natural

   You've probably heard people say that men are "meant" to be with women and women with men, that being gay or lesbian goes against nature and morality. But if homosexuality were unnatural, why would it occur, generation after generation, despite strong societal prohibitions? The fact is same-sex love has occurred throughout history, in every nation and culture on Earth. It is a natural variation among humans, and if you look hard enough, you'll probably also discover that it has occurred somewhere in your own family's history. When people say that homosexuality is unnatural, they mean it is against their preconceived idea of what is natural.
 

4. Being Gay or Lesbian is Not a  "Lifestyle," It's a Life

   It's sometimes said that gay and lesbian people live a gay "lifestyle," a word chosen to trivialize us and to imply that all gay men and lesbians subscribe to the same values, characteristics and dreams. The fact is we're not all the same any more than heterosexuals are. Some of us have one lifelong relationship, some have many. Some wear distinctive clothing, some do not. Some are liberal, some are conservative. Some are affluent, others are poor. The only thing we all have in common is that we love people of the same sex.
 

5. Gay Men and Lesbians Constitute Families

   Some people talk as if there are two options in life: You can marry someone of the opposite sex and become a family or you can be gay or lesbian and be excluded from the definition of family. This is patently untrue and is a position perpetuated by religious political extremists who have a stake in portraying gay people as outside the mainstream. The fact is that lesbian or gay male couples are as much family as heterosexual couples.

   And if you dream about having children, you can do so if you're gay or lesbian. Many gay and lesbian couples have children through adoption, artificial insemination or previous relationships. Plus, all the scientific evidence to date shows the children of gay couples are just as likely to grow up happy and well-adjusted as the children of heterosexual relationships.
 

6. Some of the Most Talented People Are or Were Gay or Lesbian

   If anyone ever suggests that your life won't add up to anything if you're gay, remind them that: PLATO was a lover of men. So were Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Bayard Rustin, a leader of the black civil rights movement was gay. So were Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Marcel Proust and James Baldwin. Shakespeare wrote about a man's love for a man. Poet Emily Dickinson wrote about her love for a woman.

   More recently, musicians k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge, and actresses Ellen DeGeneres and Amanda Bearse have come out as lesbian; and actors Wilson Cruz and Mitchell Anderson, record producer David Geffen, Olympic diver Greg Louganis and Olympic skater Rudy Galindo, and U.S. Rep. Barney Frank have come out as gay.