04|25|10: Support Love Sunday!

About two weeks ago I was in my Intro To LGBTQ Studies class and my professor was talking about coming out and this girl raised her hand and told a story about her guy friend that came out through a 10 minute long poem (that he wrote), which he read at a variety show in front of a hundred people, including his mother. What a way to come out, right?! So that inspired me to want to write a post about other people’s coming-out stories, so I asked my dear LGBTQ followers if they would help me out and tell me some of their own stories. (: I only received 2 stories, but that’s okay! I am extremely grateful to you guys for being brave and willing enough to allow me to post them publicly.  Thanks so much <3 Coming out can be a difficult process, an easy process or somewhere in between depending on the circumstances and the person. It takes a tremendous amount of guts to tell other people something so private about yourself, and to me that’s extremely inspiring. So here are the stories, and my hope is that all of you find them as inspirational as I do.

I had to come out twice. Once when I was in high school as a lesbian. I knew then that I was transgender but where I was living and with living with my parents I chose to say that I was a lesbian. I was outted about 3 days before my 16th birthday. My father caught me reading some lesbian erotica. Needless to say that he wasn’t thrilled. I was beaten with the book among other things. I came out as transgender when I was 17. My sister is slowly coming to terms with it. She won’t tell me nephews to call me Eli. I still have to go by my birth name with my family. Only my grandmother, whom I’ve not told and my sister,Renee, talk to me. My father has chosen to ignore my existence. Most of my friends from high school are okay with it. The other one’s I don’t really talk to. I’m fortune enough to have found friends that are the most amazing people in the world and that are my support system.

hey, I know its late but I just found your blog and I really like it. If you want a coming out story, I have an example of what not to do when you come out, even if it did all turn out for the best. I am a 19 year old lesbian and I had been pretty deep in the closet for a long time. I even had a crazy mad girl crush when I was 17 and thought it was a “phase”. This year however when I met Jane (name changed) I realized that this really wasn’t going away and I came out to myself. However, I am not a stereotype at all. I am super girly, super femme, and had had “crushes” on boys before. (Well, I said that I had crushes on boys. Like I said I was deep in that closet) Because I was so femme, no one really suspected it of me. One day I was shopping with my sister, who of course poor soul has no clue and we were talking for some reason about future husbands and she was saying how she would feel so bad if her future hubbie couldn’t get hard. (We are really close sisters) I got a look on my face and she goes “what?” and so I tell “You know I’m gay right?” She was shocked, of course but she is really sweet and cool, so she accepted me. Later we had a long heart to heart, that I wish had been my coming out. So to everyone else coming out, create your moment, give people time, and do it in a private place, don’t just spring it on someone, that leads to awkward times.

Want to read some more coming out stories? Go Here:

http://www.robertslevinson.com/gaylesissues/comingoutstories/blcoming.htm



If these coming-out stories can teach us one thing, I really hope it’s this: “Don’t ever judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Have a great Sunday night everyone and remember to support love! (: