DEAR ABBY: I'm a gay teen who wants to come out and possibly be in a relationship. Many students at school have come out recently, and everyone seems to be embracing our sexual diversity. However, I suspect that many of the kids who have come out may have done it to seem "cool" and be popular. I'm not trying to denounce them for who they believe they are, but it seems to be the hot thing at the moment to be bisexual or gay because so many mainstream celebrities have come out of the closet.
Because of this, many gay students are being bullied by kids who say they're only doing it for attention and popularity. I don't want to be subjected to the same bullying they are when I really am attracted to the same sex. -- CLOSETED IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR CLOSETED: If you don't find it safe to come out, my advice is to wait to do it. I find it interesting that your student body is open to accepting gay and bisexual peers, but would accuse some of them of being "secretly straight." What a switch!
Sexual orientation is a personal thing. No two people are identical in that department. According to sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, sexuality can be measured on a scale from zero (which is exclusively straight) to six (exclusively gay) and everyone is on it somewhere. It's not for others to declare where anyone else belongs.