Bj Gruber Instagram – Hi, I’m BJ Gruber. I grew up in Richmond, VA. My family often went camping & beaching. It was the ‘90’s, so we still played outside. At my grandmother’s lake house, we’d swim & ski out on the water during the summer.
I’m pansexual, a word I didn’t know growing up. I came out as bi at 16, but went back in because… VA. I came out again in college when I met someone. It’s an odd feeling: I’ve never felt gay or straight & fully accepted by either community. I amorphously fall in the middle. If dating a man, heterosexuals felt I was always gay & just pretending to be straight. If I dating a woman, LGBTQ folks would treat me like I was never gay & thus not in the tribe. So here I am, pansexual, which leaves me the freedom to exist at least in acceptance within myself. My pansexuality means that who someone is as a person (their integrity, honesty, character, responsibility, willingness to put up with my eccentricities, etc…) is the primary basis for my interest in them. Everything else is tertiary.
Parks have helped me find peace within myself. That solace has given me the clarity to understand what I believe in & who I want to be.
I haven’t been to nearly as many National Parks (NP) as I’d like, but I often visit state parks in VA & NY, where I enjoy hiking with Rachel, my partner (also queer) & rock climbing my friends Richard & Trevor. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Red Rocks NPS site in NV & Grand Canyon & Yosemite NPs.
Every landmark feature at Yosemite could be its own destination. It’s like someone designed Yosemite in a lab to be the most beautiful place possible & then gave it to us. I find it to be a more compelling ontological argument than the human body.
Rock climbing & hiking give me peace of mind that I can’t find on NYC streets. My mom thinks I’m a thrill seeker, but it’s actually the opposite. When I’m on the sharp end 1000s of ft in the air, there is only silence. It’s me, the rock, & a dear friend through 70m of nylon umbilical cord (also birds & sometimes snakes).
I’d tell my younger self to be honest about who you are & never apologize for it. I urge everyone else to do the same.
Relationship status: Engaged 💍 (under the Northern Lights) | Posted on 22/Aug/2023 03:23:37
