"Growing up, I felt there was something about me that truly set me apart from other kids. But I didn't have a grasp of what it was. I had a few fleeting crushes on girls, then, a full-blown crush. Inside, they felt right and normal. But at the same time, I didn't have any way to process those feelings because I didn't know any gay people or know that I knew them. I felt that I would risk something if I expressed my feelings. Then I started playing on my college rugby team - which had some lesbian players - and for the first time I saw women being openly affectionate to each other. It was like being dropped into what was originally a foreign country but, once there, I realized it was my country of origin. I thought, Wow, the feelings I've been having are normal. It is okay to be who I am."
Candace Gingrich / Manager of HRC's National Coming Out Project / Sister of Former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich
