I grew up in a medium-size conservative town in Southern California. I have lived in two countries, four states and on both coasts of the U.S.
If you're wondering why a Sailor is writing a story for Outsports it's because I have been a water polo player in high school and college and still play competitively. I use comments like that to fuel my fire to succeed in everything that I do. This past spring, in combat training before my deployment to Afghanistan, someone found out I was gay, walked up to me and said, "I'm glad I'm not deploying with you, I wouldn't trust a fag with my life." This despite the fact I was one of the better marksmen and performers in my class. That's not to say everyone in the military is supportive. Pensacola will always hold a place in my heart for changing me in the way it did.Īfter I came over that final hurdle, I began to live openly, and my life as a gay man flourished. While I did lose a few friends, the ones closest to me became even closer, because I no longer had to lie about who I was and for the first time they knew what was really going on in my life. The reactions started coming in and, to my relief and surprise, they were overwhelmingly positive. I was alone at the time and in tears, and I decided to come clean - yes, I'm gay, I told them. I realized my biggest fear had come to fruition. One of my friends had been going through my Instagram photos and found one of me with another guy on the back of my motorcycle. My heart pounding, I pulled over to the side of the road. "Curnick, are you gay? Don't lie to us," said another. It was the phone in my pocket, buzzing with Instagram messages. I suddenly felt a lot of vibrations and it wasn't a bumpy road. I was on a high, riding my motorcycle back to base after spending the night with a guy I seeing. In April 2015, I was heading back to my quarters at the naval base in Pensacola, Fla.