Story #2422

When I came out I was a freshman in college. I came out first to a high school friend who carpooled with me to college. The next person I came out to was my grandmother. I was sitting at the kitchen table while she was reading the newspaper. She read a personal ad in the back of a newspaper to me. She said, “Can you believe they advertise this kind of stuff?” I took that as an opening to tell her I was gay. She immediately said, “OK, let’s talk about this.” We sat at the kitchen table and talked about what being gay meant to each of us. She was immediately supportive and spoke to me like an adult. It was the first serious conversation I can remember having with an adult. She asked, “Are you sure?” I told her I was and we spoke about the difficulties I would or could encounter. That conversation helped shape my acceptance of myself. It was a huge relief and I felt like the weight of the world I was carrying was lifted off me and suddenly I was free. I was free to be ME. (M/49/Gay)