Travis Barcliff

Travis Barcliff

By Najya Beatty-McLean, The Whetstone

Social butterfly is only one way to describe junior Travis Barcliff. Just ask him.

“I am a 20-year-old African American,” he said. “I’m a social butterfly and I try my best to be optimistic about things, stay positive and spread it wherever I go.”

Being bullied and taunted in school played a part in Barcliff discovering he was gay.

“When I was in eighth grade, about 12 or 13, I came to the conclusion that I was gay after people started spreading rumors about me,” he said. “I didn’t know I was gay but I knew they were using it at me in a negative way. So instead, I said I was bisexual, which was in between both gay and straight, I thought.”

What followed after the bullying is what really made him realize that he was a gay male.

“As a child, I would get my haircut with my father, and one day I went to the bathroom, which was down in the barber’s basement,” he said.

He saw two men having sex.

“I’m guessing that they weren’t out yet to anyone except each other, and when one of the men acknowledged my presence, he was coming after me,” he said. “I don’t remember if he was trying to include me in their actions or he just grabbed my shoulder out of fear, but the other gentlemen knew whose child I was and said that I wouldn’t say anything.”

Barcliff said he wasn’t traumatized. He was confused.

Coming out to his family was not tough for him. Most of them already knew because of his mannerisms. The hard part was when it came to telling his mom.

“I told my mom I was gay on our way home from my karate class and I just broke down crying,” he said. “She said that she wouldn’t treat me differently, she would just love me more because I make her proud.”

Barcliff said he received positive reactions from everyone, especially his friends.

“I didn’t have to come out to every single one of my friends because we were all so close that they already knew and didn’t care,” he said. “It just made me cooler.”

He said he became more popular as more people found out.

“My clothing style changed completely and I was everyone’s friend, especially the girls,” he said. “My guy friends would ask me to hook them up with someone because I knew almost everything that was going on with most of the girls in school.”

His friends think his gayness makes him distinctive.

“If he were straight, he wouldn’t be as outspoken and great like he is,” sophomore Alexis Dixon said. “I couldn’t imagine not having him as a friend.”

After coming out to everyone in high school, Travis said he gained confidence.

“It meant I could act any way I wanted since I didn’t have to live up to male expectations,” he said.

Travis was named “Drama King” for his senior class superlatives.

“He is most definitely a drama king,” sophomore Nicole Harris said. “He doesn’t go around starting trouble like most gay boys I know. He’s more into fashion and being a pretty boy, which is why I love him!”

Although he said religion is not a big part of his life, he does believe in God and prayer.

“I believe I am Christian, but I’m not all about religion,” he said. “I believe in God completely and that He has things planned for me, which is why I don’t believe when people say I’m going to hell because I am gay.”

Despite the negativity he often feels, he said he believes the world is starting to accept him.

“In some places of the world, it is still looked at as a disgrace,” he said. “However, the U.S is more accepting than others and people seem to be more comfortable with it here.”