Coming Out

Coming out isn't ever easy. Or at least it wasn't for me. And I'm sure that there are hundreds, if not thousands of people who are gay or lesbian who found it hard to come out. And that's today's topic--why coming out isn't always easy.

For me coming out wasn't easy at all. I had no idea how my family would react. I had no idea if my family would reject me. All I knew was how I felt, and the fact that I was most defiantly gay. Everyone I know who is gay came out to their friends and family differently. And for me coming out was something that took me a good year and a half to two years to do. I started off with messaging my closest friends via facebook to let them know that I am gay. I had no doubt that they would be accepting of me being gay. So they were the first people I told. In a way that was a way for me to get the support from people close to me who I knew could help me out if my parents decided to kick me out of the house when I told them (if I was still living with my parents when I came out). That was in 2008.

By late September 2009, I knew I was ready to come out to the rest of my friends, and too my family. My problem was that I wasn't sure how to come out to all the rest of my friends, to my parents, to my aunts and uncles, and to my cousins, until it hit me that I could use facebook to get ahold of the people I didn't see very often. The only thing left was to come up with the words. The words eventually came, and everyone knew that I am gay. The support that came from family and friends was amazing. Not a single person hated my guts!

I wouldn't suggest using social media to tell everyone that you are gay. I did tell my parents to their faces. The people that you are closest to are the ones you should probobly tell to their faces. Don't worry if you don't have the words to come out right away. It took me about three weeks to find the right words. For some people it might take longer to find the words, and for others it might take less time. What matters is finding the words, and being confindent that there is someone out there that loves you for who you are, and doesn't care about your sexuality.