In the extensive human interest story "Coming out in middle school," New York Times writer uses an anecdotal lead featuring Austin, a gay middle school student unsure of what to wear to his first gay dance.
About nine graphs down, after giving a second anecdote of another gay middle school student, the nut graph of the story explains "Though most adolescents who come out do so in high school, sex researchers and counselors say that middle-school students are increasingly coming out to friends or family or to an adult in school."
After the nut graph, the story goes on to explain why the reader should care. The issue of gay children in middle schools would be something parents should address to their own children in middle school, as the writer addresses the issues of bullying and harassment of openly gay children.
The story, though nine pages in length, ties back to Austin in the end, the typical conclusion of a Wall Street Journal story. Austin wanted to attend an event sponsored by PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), and he was allowed as long as he had one of his parents with him.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27out-t.html?pagewanted=9&em
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interesting article. I'll have to read the whole thing when I have a spare half hour!
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