Asher at the Dance

Asher came out to his parents when he was 14, and he came out at school when he was 16, but he had never been on a date. He was from a small town, and he only knew a few gay people his age. Romantic opportunities were limited to say the least. Oh, a couple of jocks had hinted that they would be willing to do things if Asher kept his mouth shut, but Asher wanted to meet a nice boy who wasn’t ashamed of him. So when he was a senior, he was excited when his guidance counselor told him about a special dance and that all the LGBT students from the surrounding counties were invited. But when he got there, Asher felt shy and tongue tied. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to anybody, and nobody was approaching him. Asher was thinking about leaving when a cute guy came up to him and asked, “You ever dance with a boy before?” When Asher said he hadn’t, the guy said, “Don’t you think it’s about time you did?” Asher smiled, and suddenly he was glad he came.

Photographer and subjects unknown
Fictional story by Gary Cottle