You reached adolescence the same time as dialup internet. The world was a lot smaller. Facebook and tumblr hadn’t even been dreamed up yet. You did your assignments with encyclopedia CD-ROMs and played your game boy incessantly with the kids on the block. Nobody had mobile phones. You had to work this shit out on your own. Looking back, it was all too clear you were a budding baby queer. How did you not pick up on it sooner?
1. You begged to be able to stay up late to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a glimpse of Sarah Michelle Gellar or Eliza Dushku. Yay. Everyone else was pretty superfluous, really. Incidentally, this was also your first exposure to leather pants. What an excellent invention.
2. Strangely, not being allowed to have a boyfriend didn’t really bother you. Sure thing, Mum and Dad. No dating boys. Message received. Boys were super gross anyway.
3. You totally ignored those crappy girly magazines. I’m looking at you, Dolly. You just didn’t give a damn. Unless K-Stew was on the cover. Then you suddenly did give a day-uuuum.
4. You discovered Tegan and Sara. Enough said. “The Con” was your soundtrack for everything.
5. You thought Carmen from “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” totally rocked that red trench coat. A true woman of mystery, and always one step ahead of you. What a tease. Geography was freakin’ hard and you sucked at that game. Stupid sexy Carmen.
6. You didn’t think anyone else like you existed, largely because you lived under a rock. Technology just wasn’t there yet. You had no idea about queer shows, even though they were out there. You read a lot instead. That’s when you discovered Ann-Marie MacDonald’s “Fall on your Knees” and it became your favourite book of all time. You and Kathleen were basically the same person and it was amazing to realise that was ok.
7. You had inappropriate thoughts about your (very straight) best friend. Why? It’s not fair.
8. Your fashion sense, or lack thereof. If it was comfy and allowed you freedom of movement, you were all over it. Culottes? You had three pairs. Your Mum had to sit you down to discuss why shorts were not appropriate church-going gear.
9. You went to see the kick-ass heroines in movies, not the dumb male love-interest. You didn’t tell your friends this, though.
10. All of the above apply to you.
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