In April of 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their 2022 CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) report and stated 1 in 4 high school students identified as LGBTQ.5 If you're reading this, you might think this could include you. Maybe you're sure how you feel and maybe you're not, but it's important to understand we all start at the same place. This book is designed to help you navigate where to go from here. I would like to say it has gotten easier since I came out in 1998, but in many ways, it has become much more complicated. I can tell you, however, that most of the stress and anxiety is unnecessary. I know authors aren't supposed to do this right at the beginning of a book, but the last page is going to reassure you that it's all going to be ok. It really isn't as big of a deal as you fear it is right now. But that will take some work from you to make happen. By the end of this journey, you will find yourself more confident in who you are and who you want to be. You'll be smarter and you'll understand the power you have to build the life you want. You'll see that much of what you've read and heard online really isn't true and you will know exactly how to combat misinformation. Most importantly you'll know who you don't have to be, and you won't need to get approval from anyone else. This is the book I wish I had when I was 15 and trying to figure out my feelings and my place in the world. I wrote this book for you because so much of the world is telling you how you must think, feel and live your life and none of it is true. At the end of this journey, spoilers ahead, there is nothing you have to change about yourself to be yourself. That's the secret, to being happy and to being free. You've got this, I believe in you. *** For Parents This book is designed to be read by you first and then shared with your child along their journey. I've worked with parents of LGBTQ kids who have read and given me advice and feedback, and we are all confident this will be an excellent resource for both you and your child. Thank you for joinging your child on this challenging journey.