Imagine you’re 12 years old. You’re scared and confused. For some reason you seem different than everybody else, even though externally you’re the same. Your friends are talking about their weekend and how they’re hoping to get a girlfriend, but you, for some reason, don’t want the same.

You are attracted to the same sex.

This is the story of Jacob Wilson, junior in political science. He doesn’t remember when he knew, he just realized he wasn’t attracted to women.

“I can’t even really think of the exact moment, but being 12 years old, a lot of my friends were starting to talk to girls and I realized I don’t have that attraction at all,” Wilson said. “It’s really scary and I didn’t want to be different, especially in grade school; people are vicious. Your peers are vicious even for little things like having a certain lunch box or wearing a certain T-shirt, let alone for something grand and crazy as being attracted to someone of the same sex.”

Wilson grew up in Salem, Miss. He was raised Southern Baptist, loved sports, did well in school and kept active. He was well-liked, but seemed to have problems with his sexual identity.

Wilson realized he couldn’t get rid of his feelings as much as he tried. He came out when he was 16.

“I told my parents and they didn’t take it well,” Wilson said. “Instead of listening and being supportive, they blamed me and called me names. They told me a lot of bad things. They told me it was a perverted lifestyle and I would never be successful, and I love politics and they said I will never have a career in politics.”

Wilson struggled still and even told his parents he would try to take back being gay. All he wanted was to feel the same as everyone else.

He said he felt completely depressed. People at school were spreading rumors and making fun of him and he had zero support from his family. As a teenager, this was very devastating to his emotional well-being.  He felt as if he were alone and felt very low.

Wilson eventually went into a residential treatment facility, Love in Action. He was put into therapy sessions trying to turn him straight. They promised him that they could turn him straight. Desperately hoping this was true, he invested thousands of dollars.

“The therapy component looked into why I had these attractions, while a couple of the other therapies that tried to straighten us out was to have football clinics because that is what guys do, and the girls had spa days and makeovers,” Wilson said. “They didn’t realize that the gender identity has nothing to do with whether you’re gay or straight.”

After the program failed, Wilson became depressed and dealt with many feelings. Not until he was 20 and found some support was he able to start healing.

“I’m all about respect and you might not agree on everything, but we are at a point in our society that there are certain facts that we have to accept,” Wilson said. “We need to agree that it’s never OK to bully or harass someone, whether it’s physical, psychological or emotional. It’s one area that you don’t have to be gay to believe that when 13-year-old children are killing themselves for being bullied, it doesn’t matter what your beliefs are, that’s where we all can say this is not right.”

The ISU Government of the Student Body addressed harassment in their senate resolution urging the university to take a stance against this type of behavior. This resolution encourages the university to look into ways to encourage a diverse campus and climate among the student body.

But one more step is needed from GSB, said Brad Freihoefer, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies and LGBT Student Services coordinator.

“GSB’s resolution was great and we want to continue to further a safe environment that doesn’t tolerate harassment and bullying,” Freihoefer said. “We hope to remind students to stand up for each other. We are a Cyclone nation and we are proud to be one. When students say not positive things we need to stand up for each other.”

Wilson said one thing he, as a student, hopes to see from GSB or Iowa State is even more action.

Wilson said there are three things GSB could do to prevent a lot of the harassment and bullying that occurs at Iowa State so an ISU student never takes his or her life:

1. Provide the LGBTSS two graduate students to help assist.
2. Have GSB send out a message, not to just the heads of students, but to the students themselves so that students being bullied because of any reason be it LGBT, race, sex or disability can have recourses and know that Iowa State does not tolerate this.
3. Look at having a mandatory multicultural class that would educate people.

Wilson said he wants everyone to know, though, that it does get better and there are people to help.

The LGBTSS are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1064 Student Services Building. There are also gathering groups: the Gay/Bi Men’s Group, Lez-Bi-Real-Queer and Queer People of Color.