Without the Mask - Coming Out and Coming Into God's Light by Charlie Bird

 I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of one of the greatest "Cosmo's" of all time, BYU's mascot. I liked how he shared his feelings about being gay, about coming out, about feeling different, and about interacting with his family. He also wrote very eloquently and movingly about how being gay is part of his identity. It is not something that can be taken on or off...which I knew, but now understand on a deeper level. An interesting insight he wrote was that, given the choice, he would NOT choose to be heterosexual. The learning and philosophy and interweaving of the Gospel is so fascinating. He has some hard truths to share about how he was treated, although there is no bitterness. He's a faithful member of the church, and he still has no long-term answers about how his gender identity will play out in the next life. We don't know! But he's very willing to live the Gospel now, not knowing, because Christ is central to his identity as well. 

He's found it challenging to find his place. Some of the LGBTQ community are promiscuous and that's not where he wants to be. It's an on-going struggle to find his place and friends, it seems. I have to admire his commitment and faith. AND, it's a very well-written book with great examples of what it feels like to struggle with same gender attraction.