The Naked
Truth: Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry, 40 Taos, N.M. Likes: chest hair and muscle Dislikes: weight -- too skinny

Think puberty was hard as a teenager? Imagine going through it at age 30. "Doctors always said, 'Well, different people have different body types' or 'Maybe you're a late bloomer,' " says 40-year-old Patrick Henry, whose body didn't mature into adulthood until after 1998, when doctors found a brain tumor that was preventing testosterone production. For Henry, the revelation was a godsend. "It was like the first time in history that a brain tumor has been good news!" he says, laughing. Three months after the tumor was successfully removed, he finally began to pack on pounds and grow body hair, leaving behind the skinny, hairless body that had made him "miserable" for most of his life. "People who knew me back then, some of them don't even recognize me now," he says.

Though he'd still like to put on more weight -- "Sometimes when I look in the mirror I still see that skinny kid" -- Henry says he's at peace with his new body and his newly awakened sexuality. "It was always very frustrating for me because I didn't have a sex drive," he says. "I actually thought I was supposed to be straight!" Henry now competes in a gay rugby league and recently attended the Bingham Cup in Dublin, which he describes as "pretty much a wet dream come true." The sport has helped him achieve the physique he's always wanted. "Muscles are nice, but there's that dividing line between guys who are muscular for show and guys who are muscular in a practical sense," he says. "I don't want pretty muscles to show off -- I want more pounds to make me a better athlete."

Patrick Henry, 40 Taos, N.M. Likes: chest hair and muscle Dislikes: weight -- too skinny

Patrick Henry, 40 Taos, N.M. Likes: chest hair and muscle Dislikes: weight -- too skinny