When I was 4 or 5, I fell in love with our garbage man

When I was 4 or 5, I fell in love with our garbage man. All I really remember about him now is that he had a porn star mustache and never wore sleeves during our hot Midwestern summers. One day, determined to finally take matters into my own hands, I snuck outside when I heard his truck coming down the street and, wearing nothing but my underwear, performed a burlesque-esque dance for him in our front yard. I remember the look on his face -- puzzled, not quite sickened but in no way amused -- when he responded, "What are you? A little queer?"

[This essay is taken from the anthology BOYS - An Anthology, published by Thought Catalog, which showcases the voices, stories and lives of gay, queer, and trans* men from around the world.]

source: Article 'Pages From the Penis Book: My (Possibly Shocking) Sexual Life as a Gay Child'; Essay posted online by Noah Michelson; HuffPost Gay Voices; 17 October 2013