On any given Saturday night, former high school trauma’s become only a laughable memory at the hands of friends over wine and swapped stories. Sometimes the stories are so vivid that I swear I can still smell cheap mascara and perfume floating down the hallways from the girl’s room. Then I turn and see that it’s only a drag queen friend waddling over in high heels to join in on the conversation.

Enter Thom Creed – A high school senior, talented basketball player, busboy and super hero. Oh, and did I mention that he’s gay. Yes, that’s right; a gay super hero. Many of us can now gasp in relief and say, “it’s about time.”

A new novel is ravishing bookstores and burning up the hands of teenagers everywhere “Hero,” By Perry Moore. The novel takes place in a fantasy world where villains destroy lives and super heroes take on celebrity status. At the heart of this story is Thom Creed whom, other than having the power to heal, is your average pimply faced high school teenager who lusts over his favorite buff super hero, Uberman. Oh how that takes me back.

Throughout the book, Moore introduces his readers to a colorful cast of characters that include other super heroes with some very interesting and unconventional powers of their very own. One of these characters includes Typhoid Larry, a super hero in training who can make people physically ill on contact. There is also a cast of strong women that, as Moore told me in a recent interview with him for the non profit organization Campus Pride, “a lot of girl’s can relate to the relationship between Thom and Scarlett.” He also went on to say that the point of the book is to show that whether you’re gay, straight, black or white, young or old, “there is a hero within all of us.”

Before entering the world of YA novels, Moore worked as the executive producer for The Chronicles of Narnia and was the producer for the Rosie O’Donnell Show. He was also the author of the book about the making of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” Moore also appeared in People Magazine in a wet suit as one of their sexiest men. “I wanted to show young gay people that they can surf and be whatever you want to be.” When asked about living up to the role of being a role model for young gay men he said, “That’s crazy; I just hope I can live up to the role. I think Thom is more of the role model.”

During a recent night out and time warp back to high school, a school teacher friend of mine said, “you know what, it’s these gay kids today, they are the one’s that are the new bullies.” I wondered what he meant by that and he said that it is the gay students that he is now sending to the office for picking on others.

I thought about my recent stint in substitute teaching. It was the day after Halloween and Britney Spear’s new album had just been released. In one particular class I had three of the most openly gay kids in the school. All talk was on Britney and the high holy Holigay of Halloween. As I wrote up the pink slips I thought, wow, high school has changed. Even though my experience in the hallways wasn’t very long ago, these three kids would have been afraid to even open their mouth let alone flame out, “back in my day.” Now people like Moore are adding fuel to the fire? I can’t help but feel a little proud. With the success of “Hero” and many more projects in the work from Perry, for the sake of gay teens everywhere I can’t help but, well, want Moore.

To read the entire Perry Moore interview, long onto www.campuspride.org

---