My High School Boyfriend Was Gay

A new site celebrates ill-fated romance.

man and woman on a couch
(Image credit: Archives)

When Damian Bellino went to his prom in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, back in 2002, he didn't get lucky. He and his girlfriend danced to "Stairway to Heaven," then said good night. That's because Bellino liked boys, although he hadn't figured that out yet. Today, he runs the website My High School Boyfriend Was Gay (myhsboyfriendwasgay.com), inviting people to send in photos and stories of their own teenage mismatches.

Bellino, 27, an actor in New York, says he launched the site because his friends thought it was hilarious that he used to have a girlfriend. "I guess I seem like the most homosexual person in the world," he says. Does he worry about outing people? "I make the screening process as thorough as possible," he says. "I encourage people not to be dicks and ruin the fun."