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All I wanted to do was to bring my boyfriend to prom. I followed the rules at my school and asked our principal for permission. What was supposed to be a simple request was stonewalled until the school board had no other positive legal option but to grant my request: Yes you can bring your boyfriend to prom. That day was supposed to be one of much exhilaration and joy. I was ecstatic when I called my boyfriend to let him know we had a date on prom night. The local press got word of it; I granted an interview. By the time I arrived at home, still filled with happiness, my parents had made a decision – I was kicked out that night...
Days passed and I anxiety overcame me. I did not know what the future had in store for me. I was cutoff from the only source of security I had ever known; contact with my mom and dad was almost nonexistent. A friend's family were kind enough to open their home to me, which meant I at least had a roof over my head for the remainder of my senior year. But relations with my parents went from bad to worse, and they will never be the same. I felt abandoned and betrayed; disposed off, a castaway. I faced death threats, my car was vandalized, and a rally against me was organized by some of my peers. I lost friends, many parents did not want me associating with their children. Those were very dark times. But I knew there was no time to feel sorry for myself. Life moved on and I embraced my surroundings and moved forward, alone yes, but forward nonetheless.
Yet all around, forces unknown to me were beginning to be set in motion. National gay organizations offered their help. Countless online friends joined the movement to help me out. Suddenly, collections were taken and many good hearted people donated funds to help me out, not just so I could have a memorable prom, but to ensure that I would have funds to live off of afterwards. A gay family in California opened their home and welcomed me as one of their own. All these organizations and people threw a lifevest in my path and without them, and their goodwill, I would have been unable to remain afloat. It is because of them that I did not sink; it is because of their aid that I have decided to pay it forward, and use my experience to bring aid to other LGBTQ youths.
Our mission is simple: "To be a helping hand, a life vest, to as many LGBTQ teens and adults as possible. We will carry out this mission through the establishment of safe places in as many cities as possible; through opening a call center with a qualified and well-educated and experienced team of counselors who can give advice and guidance where needed; through finding qualified and screened families who can, if the need arises, host rejected teens while they finish schooling or find a new place."
We are LifeVest, and we are here to help.
