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My jaw dropped the first time I saw the illustration my friends at the It Gets Better Project asked me to write about for their blog. The image titled “Dress As You Feel: Be Yourself” features the profile of a young man who looks exactly like my son Harry. It’s uncanny really, because I know that Venezuelan artist Daniel Arzola, who collaborated with It Gets Better on the BetterMedia Illustrations Project, has never met Harry.

Writing my article for the Illustrations Project triggered a lot of memories for me. From Harry’s dress-up box in kindergarten to his costumes in high school as a local cast member of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to his current wardrobe that just might someday rival Cher’s, I know my son dresses to express his individuality, his love of fashion, and the freedom he feels to be himself.

You’ll find my article here, right below the illustration.

And as things continue to get better for LGBTQ youth, I hope you’ll ponder the question, Why should society view a boy or young man in a skirt any differently than a girl or young woman in jeans?

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