Larry Benjamin. Wordsmith. Writer. Author.

I read this article, “ We Didn't Say 'Gay' At My High School. It Almost Cost Me My Life ,” by HuffPost’s Noah Michelson and it took me back to possibly the darkest time in my life: high school. I tend not to dwell too much on the past so the last time I really thought about the hell that was high school was when I wrote my second novel, “ Unbroken ,” which memorializes a lot of what I experienced growing up. Like Noah it was always obvious that I was gay. Our stories are remarkably similar: the bullying, the name calling, the loneliness. But there are stories diverge. I didn’t grow up in a small town but in The Bronx; I didn’t have a gay uncle to show me that guys like me existed, that I wasn’t alone. I’m Black. Maybe being Black made it easier to embrace my gayness. Afterall both identities carry the threat of discrimination and suspicion. I’ve been called the N-word. In high end stores I was often regarded with suspicion and then curiosity when I laid down my Amex G...