This essay is the story of my life, in a way. "Create for me, O God, a pure heart; renew in me a steadfast spirit." Psalm 51:12 I grew up in a close, loving family and attended parochial school. When I first started feeling attracted to my male peers in middle school, I didn't know what to make of those feelings. Mostly, I put them down, decided that this was a teenage phase, and went about my life. At 13 I started masturbating every day, often fueled by the fantasies of the boys in my class. I told myself that this phase would pass; However, when high school friends started dating girls, bragging about their exploits, I couldn't understand it. I knew many girls who were my friends, but I had never felt the slightest spark of romantic interest in them. Throughout high school and college, I dated several girls and dutifully "made out" with some, but I never felt that "rush." , to get married and have children. I began to understand that this adolescent "phase" would not magically disappear. To this day, I thank God for his protection...