Below, five LGBTQ+ individuals share their stories.
I came out initially to my mom through a text message when I was 21.
I live in California, so it was easy to live two separate lives.
Byrdie/Stocksy
To my surprise, everyone was super supportive.
It’s very important to be true to yourself at all costs.
You are not alone."
Stocksy
I had called her and said I needed to talk.
We parked in a cul-de-sac around the corner, and I sat quietly for several moments.
I wanted so badly to confess my secret, but I couldn’t bear to say it.
I hated the word.
It was the worst thing you could call a boy in high school.
The one syllable carried the weight of shame that left me crawling out of my skin.
With an aching heart, I whispered to her softly, ‘I need you to ask me.’
She knew what this was.
‘Is it about Sean?’
‘Do you like him?’
That I had never felt this way about another boy, and I was terribly confused.
Taylor
“For me, the topic of ‘coming out’ is different than most.
I guess you could say that I never officially came out to my family.
Am I still in the closet?
No, I’m not.
I met a guy online and would sneak off for weekend trips to New Orleans.
It was about a four-hour drive from my mom’s house, away from my friends and family.
Finally, they both went for my cell phone.I can remember holding on to that phone for dear life.
Of course, they finally got my phone from me and saw the boy’s name.
That is when I officially came out to my friends.
Luckily for me, I have some of the best friends in the world.
They shrugged it off and were more mad that I didn’t just tell them.
We spent the rest of that day sharing stories together and nothing really changed.
I am friends with them both still and love them very much.
“As far as my family goes, I just started bringing home dates as if nothing was different.
Perhaps they think it is a choice.
Regardless, over the years, it has become clear to everyone in my family that I am gay.
Not everyone is as lucky as me.”
“When I first publicly came out as trans, I was petrified.
I hadn’t yet learned how to be confident in my womanhood without all the physical bells and whistles.
I didn’t think the corporate world would accept me.
I could not have been more wrong.”
It certainly wasn’t planned, but it happened.
“Growing up, I was always a ‘tomboy,’ according to my family and classmates.
I could tell from their looks that they were concerned.
I turned to her and shouted back, ‘You know what?
The car was completely silent, and my mom pulled over to the side of the road.
“I immediately burst into tears and hugged my mom.
I continued to go to church all throughout high school and even into college.
Church has actually been a great source of community for me.”
Emily
This story was originally published at an earlier date.
