I remember when I was young, bright eyed and had just figured out I was gay. Those years for me were full of some of the best and worst times I’ve ever had in my life. Meeting new friends; partying to all hours; coming out to my parents; my first boyfriend and my first break up — it was a constant emotional rollercoaster ride. Now I’m older, I often find myself reminiscing about those crazy days of my youth.

It seems we have a certain fascination with youth and youth culture. As we mature though, sometimes we forget that being young and growing up was often very challenging and difficult — especially for those of us in the gay and lesbian community, or with gender and identity issues.

You hear people say that it’s much easier for gay kids now, but I wonder if it really just depends on a person’s individual circumstances. Your parents, friends and teachers can make all the difference to how easy or hard your teenage years will be.

Youth culture demands allegiance to certain types of music, fashion, ways of communicating and being. Within it, peer group pressure is probably at its most influential and this can sometimes make it very difficult for those who don’t fit into the status quo. Although being gay in 2010 is probably easier for most adolescents, there are still some major hurdles to jump.

In this issue of FUSE we listen to some local queer youth and look at coming out — or as our new contributor Hilary Caldwell says, coming ‘in’. We explore some different queer youth perspectives, including a mother’s look at understanding the gay teen.

Being young is never going to be easy without support, so we have a whole bunch of advice and places to check out in Canberra if you’re under 25, or coming out.

We also have something very special this month for our lovers of burlesque. Our very own Yasmin Element — gosh we love her — has been hanging out with the dangerous and extremely sexy girls from The Burlesque Hour — a show not to be missed. She chats to the wickedly talented Moira Finucane about the show, the girls and other really naughty stuff p10.

You’ll also find a bit of a gay detective theme is this issue. Amy Brown writes about the hidden gay subtext of the new hit movie Sherlock Holmes, with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. She say’s it’s ‘homoerotic without being misogynistic’ p44. On p20 you’ll find a full line up of all the queer Bent Lenses films for 2010, including some great gay detective stories with smoking hot guys and girls. Oh and lastly, taking about lists, on p16 you’ll find FUSE’s Mardi Gras must do list for 2010.

Enjoy, Alex