Roxy Trevino, age 17

Jamaica, Queens, NY

When I was four years old, they took me away from my mother because she was using drugs. I lived in a couple of foster homes, and then I went to my own grandmother's house and a family member raped me when I was like five. So that's why I'm attracted to girls, because I'm afraid of men.

I lost my virginity to a boy. The reason I had sex as a teenager was that there wasn't anybody there for me. My father wasn't there, and this boy was there for me and this boy told me he loved me, and I felt like I owed it to him. Maybe if parents were there more than what they are right now, the kids wouldn't go out and find somebody for them to love and have sex with them... We shouldn't have to go out and find people to love us.

Before I had my girlfriend Love I was always depressed. I didn't know what to do, but now that I'm with her, I'm happy. I mean, we have our ups and downs and sometimes I'm sad, but I'm usually happy.

At times I believe in God. When people sit around and say that God doesn't accept gay people, I get upset. And I say that He is being selfish, and He should love us for who we are... Because I do want to believe in Him. I'm confused, and I really don't know what I should do, if I should believe or if I shouldn't.

I want a house with my kids and Love's kids and my niece and her nephew. I guess I would be the mother who drops them off at school and cooks dinner and stuff like that.

Honestly, I'm not mad at my parents. I thank them, because this is the happiest I have ever been in my life.

Love Kye, age 19

Jamaica, Queens, NY

I started dating girls when I was thirteen. 'Cause I was in Spartan Juvenile Detention and everybody else was doing it and I just followed... I ended up there because I had a fight with my brother... he was twelve and I was thirteen, and he was beating me up real bad. When he let me go, I ran in the kitchen, got a knife, and I stabbed him in the hand. My mother broke it up with a broomstick and then she called the police and they took me away.

I was in there for a year and a half. Juvenile Detention was nice. I liked it better than here, so after I came home I got in trouble on purpose so I could go back. I was on probation and went to the store and stole a whole bunch of clothes, and so I went back because I had a lot of friends and stuff in there.

Roxy's not my first girlfriend, but she's my first love. My mother don't talk about me being gay but Roxy lives with me and my mom, but my mom never asked me and I never told her but I know she knows. My sister told me she said, "Your daughter's gay," and she said, "No, she's not, she's just going through a phase right now."

My fantasy is to be a famous dancer. I want to make money off of that and I'm going to have a big house in the Hamptons. My mother used to work out there. She be telling me about it. A perfect family to me is two people that love each other. And I want to have, like, four cars for my girlfriend Roxy, her two kids, my five kids, plus my three nieces and nephews, my little brother; and just like a nice big house. That's it.