For me, sexual orientation is in no way a deterrent of whether or not a person is able to be in my life. I have had numerous friends that have come out to me saying that they were gay-a fact that I have always been quite proud of.  Attending an all-boys high school forced me to see that all different walks of life should be able to coexist.  That being said, I think we can all agree that a school atmosphere, high school especially, can be one of the more unforgiving places for a young person to express who they are on the inside and out.  Eric Rofes talks a lot about gender roles, and how they affect an individual in an academic setting.  Not only was my high school an all boys school but it is also a jesuit institution.  The school itself, I felt, did an outstanding job at making sure that all students felt comfortable with learning in the confines of 150 Morrissey Blvd.  It was the students themselves who determined whether or not it would be easy for members of the LGBT community to feel welcome.  I can relate to Rofes when he says that he would always assume the role of a peacemaker.  With divorced parents I have naturally taken on that role myself, and I guess it has carried over into my every day life.  One of the beautiful things about my high school was that no one person was forced into a single group of friends, it was a brotherhood.  But with such a tight-nit group of course there were going to be situations in which confrontation would arise.  Not one day would go by where the word "fag" would not be tossed around the cafeteria or playing field.  In these situations it would normally be a question of "manhood" that came into play.  It was almost as if being gay would take away from a boys masculinity, when in reality there are homosexual professional athletes who compete at the highest level with more masculinity than some could ever imagine.  The question is, why does being gay take away from a persons character? or even their drive to succeed?  In other words making them feel like less of a person because of their sexual orientation.  When in reality, members of the LGBT community are attending school, social events, and playing sports for the same reason as a person that identifies themselves as straight.