How I Knew: Childhood Celebrity Crushes

Oh, the younger years -- how I love to reminisce. All the free time, all the inflated dreams, all the new wonders to discover. And, lest we forget, all those little signs and hints piling around us that would one day break down the closet doors in front of us...

Yes, I find this type of retrospective work is a core concern for all the queer kids out there. As an adult, I've gained a bit of perspective on my interests and impulses during my childhood and, well -- all signs point to G-A-Y.

I was inspired to write this post tonight after the lesbian/bi girl Mecca that is AfterEllen.com decided to honour America's National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11) with a compilation of actresses who nudged us even the tiniest bit toward an open and proud adulthood.

So, I dedicate this one to some of the ladies who dominated my television set during those vital, pre-teen years. Check 'em out, compare notes:

Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly (aka. The Pink Ranger)

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (1993-1995)

So, from the tender age of seven, I knew I liked a femme girl who could kick my ass. It's a trend that has remained constant throughout my life, one I wouldn't realize in great detail until I was about 18. Still though, the Pink Ranger embodies all the qualities I like in a lady -- heck, she probably even established most of those guidelines even before I was aware they existed. She's spunky, she fights for what's right, she can stand up and defend herself regardless of the situation, and she can weild a crossbow. Alright, that last one isn't a necessary trait in a partner, per se, but it's damn cool. I always wondered why I hated Tommy so much... that jerk of a Green-later-White Ranger.... could it be connected to the fact that HE won Kimberly's heart? .... Just maybe....

Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski

Saved By The Bell (1989-1993)

As a young'un, I could not WAIT to be in high school. To be 14-years-old was like some misguided Holy Grail for me when I was in grade one. Serious, I knew I was going to be awesome and popular and start my own band and did I mention I would be cool and famous? Yeah. 'Cause that's what always happens. Anyway, Kelly Kapowski and her absolute flawlessness was one of the driving forces behind my impatience to grow up. I mean, there were girls like HER in HIGH SCHOOL? It seemed a travesty to be six-years-old at the time. It wasn't until I was in high school for myself that I understood it was never Zack Morris I was crushin' on -- no, I wanted to BE Zack Morris in order to get close to a girl like Kelly.

Lucy Lawless as Xena

Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)

.... Do I even need to explain this one? I seem to recall that Xena came on either right before or right after Power Rangers during the 1995 season. All I remember was the close proximity of fierce, gorgeous women. And that's all I NEED to remember. Oh, Xena -- both a warrior AND a princess. What gay girl in the making could resist you? It's almost not fair that she embodies that much hotness. The battle cry, the discus, the plated chest armour -- she is perfection in leather, yes ma'am.

Persia White as Denise Williams and Rachel Wilson as Tamira Goldstein

Breaker High (1997-1998)

Curious to find out how to capture the attention of pre-teen audiences in the late 90s? Take a group of adventurous, attractive high school students and place them on a yacht/floating school that whisks them around the globe. I wanted to live in this show when it debuted in 1997. Serious. It fed into my dreams of high school even more than Saved By The Bell. And again, it was the women of the cast that provided much of the incentive behind those transatlantic travel/education plans of mine. Persia White was cast as Denise Williams, the intelligent and enlightened teen-turned-activist. She was sharp, sweet, and oh-so-nerdy. And, I can't forget about Rachel Wilson as Tamira Goldstein, the bashful, sensitive wallflower who took a full series to find herself. *Sigh* Love 'em both, even if they can't wield a discus or a crossbow.

And, to celebrate this trip to the past, I will leave you with the ever-catchy theme song for Breaker High -- carry me away, indeed.

... How about you? Who caused your young, queer heart to skip?