Snapchart's Cam pens open letter for anyone struggling with sexuality

I don’t really know what this is going to be, whether it will be worth your time reading it, or what you are going to gain from reading this but I feel like my fingers are about to explode. I guess a lot has happened in the first few months of this year and it’s time to share some thoughts and feelings with you. Firstly can I just say if you are reading this thank you. Thank you for being a part of my family. I say family because you’re more than a friend. You’re more than a follower and you’re more than somebody that just randomly stumbled across the post and decided to read it. I feel that the universe has a plan for each and every one of us and for one reason or another we have crossed paths. I will forever be thankful that our paths did cross and as much as I can teach you something you can definitely teach me something.

We live in this weird world where people are more focused on the number of followers than the importance of being kind. We live in a world where people judge us on the life we portray on social media and not by the life we are actually living. We live in a world where love can be found without even meeting. Where today we are more free to be ourselves than yesterday. A world where our decisions will affect the decisions of future generations. To be honest I probably won’t ever have children myself but I want to ensure my existence on the planet makes a more positive environment for future generations. Humans have come so far but we’ve also got a long way to go.

Life comes with all kinds of expectations whether it be the expectations of friends, family or the expectations you have on yourself. We all have these ideas about life. We have ideas of the things we want to achieve. The people we want to be. We have ideas of the lifestyle we want to live. I find life intriguing. So often I hear people talking about their 5-year plan what they want to do with their lives. I am sitting over here living my life day by day not really knowing what I am going to do tomorrow. I Don’t even like making plans to have lunch with someone in advance because who knows if I will be hungry at 12.30pm on Tuesday. Some days you want company some days it’s nice to just spend some time with yourself and not feel the need to entertain anyone.

I’m sure you have already realised that this blog has been inspired by a movie. I was inspired to write this blog because the movie is about a boy who is living with a massive secret. Sexuality is a massive thing and no matter who you are, how old you are it is something that isn’t always easy to live with. When living with a secret you are always living in fear. You fear what people think about you. You live with a fear of the future. I am trying to write this blog without revealing any spoilers. It is a movie you definitely have to go and watch. I guess what I am trying to say here is that it doesn’t matter what the secret is if you are living in fear you are probably over thinking everything. In an ideal world you would live in freedom you would live in a situation where everyone can understand the perspective that you’re coming from. Can I be real honest with you for a minute. There is no way you can please everyone. There is absolutely no way to make everyone happy. You are you. The most important thing you can do in this life is live your best life. Live a life that makes you happy. Live a life that makes you proud. Everything in life is so temporary. Nobody is here forever. Nothing will last forever. This is a scary concept to comprehend but at the same time, it is exciting. This is your opportunity to live life for you. By no means is it ok to go around intentionally hurting people but I think there comes a time when we realise that sometimes you just have to live life and find our own happiness. Your happiness might not be the happiness your parents envisaged for you, it might not even be the happiness you envisaged for yourself but the truth is this is life and every day we are learning more and more about ourselves. Do yourself a favour and have the confidence to walk with your strongest foot first.

We all live with expectations we all live with the demands that society cast on us from a young age. I find that funny. I was bullied, the thing that I was bullied about when I was at school are things that are featured in movies now and I think that is really special. When I was in high school a lot of people bullied me because they thought I was gay. Did I make an announcement that I was gay? Did I tell anyone that I had feelings for the same sex? Did I have a relationship with someone of the same sex for that matter? No, I didn’t I had so many thoughts and feelings running around in my head. The truth is so does everyone at that age? It’s a part of life. Your body is changing and you are discovering yourself. I think it’s a part of life that should be discussed more. In all honesty, maybe it is something that is more openly discussed now but at the time I remember being so confused. I remember the first time someone said “Cam You are so gay” and I remember going home and googling what it means to be gay. I remember thinking that it was something that I had to deal with on my own, but it’s really not. It is something that is completely natural and whether you are gay, straight, bi, transgender or just simply confused it is something that every single person will experience in their life. For some people it’s easier than others they know from a young age, for some people it requires some experimentation and for others, it is an ongoing thing. I remember being confused and thinking that there was something wrong with me. I remember wondering if there was something that I could do to fix the way that I was feeling. I remember wondering if anyone else had felt this way. I love the fact that movies like “Love Simon” and “Call Me By Your Name” are coming out. These movies are starting conversations that need to happen. It’s 2018 the idea of a male meeting a female having 2.5 kids and living happily ever after isn’t the only option. Diversity is a beautiful thing. The ideal of being gay and not ever experiencing what it is like to have children is an idea of the past. The world is your oyster. If there is something you want to do in your life there is nothing stopping you from doing exactly that. Forget the boundaries. Forget the torment.

If you were bullied in school I would like to apologise on behalf of those bullies. Can I tell you something though. You’ve got something those bullies wish they had themselves. You’ve got an open mind, you live your life unapologetically or you are so comfortable with yourself and they wish they had that confidence in themselves. Please never change. Continue to inspire people to be themselves. Continue to be a trailblazer. The best thing you can do in your life is living a life that you don’t regret. Leave no path unexplored. We have a very limited time on this planet but we have time to explore. We have time to find ourselves. We have time to experience. Keep an open mind. Don’t ever judge someone else’s journey. Treat every person with kindness. Do the best that you can do and if all else fails live your best life.

Read more of Cam's blog posts HERE.