When I came out everything felt weirder. I feel like everyone I told (myself included) just tried to avoid the topic. I felt like I was half in and half out of the ‘closet’. Different people in my life responded differently and knew different amounts: my mom knew but didn’t think that nonbinary people could have gender dysphoria, my dad sort of knew but thought it was ‘just a phase’ and didn’t take me very seriously, my dad’s partner was supportive, my mom’s partner didn’t know and thought that ‘there’s no possible way that there are that many transgender people. I mean, there’s always going to be one or two, but…’, and so one. I was (and still am) so scared of rejection. I came to a point where I felt that I had ‘come out’ too much to pretend it had never happened yet too far to fully come out without making it seem like I was craving attention, or doing too much. Because I never knew how to properly come out, no one knows my full identity, just that I use they/them pronouns (sort of), that I don’t dress femininely (at least most of the time), and that I wasn’t straight (even though I never clearly stated my orientation). (Nonbinary Genderflor Genderflux Trans/11/Arospec Ace-spec Abroromantic Lesbian)
Story #2456
When I came out my friends and I were walking through the halls of our school. I already knew they were both bisexual so I knew I could trust them. They were so supportive about it. I go to church and I have friends at my school that go to the same church so I didn’t want to tell them. One day I was talking with my friends (my church friends were there) and someone brought up the topic about being part of the LGBTQ+ community. One of my friends asked me, “Aren’t you bi?” I panicked because my church friends were there. I said, “Well yeah, but I don’t want my parents to find out.” They were all super supportive about it and I think i might tell my parents. (F/12/Bisexual)
Story #2455
When I came out I was 29 (it was 1985). My father had just died in an accident and that forced me to confront being gay and moving forward to live my true life. I knew I was gay when I was 13, but repressed it through HS, college, and my 20’s. I didn’t date women. I was just a solo person, with many friends, who stayed busy with other activities. I’m 66 now, married to a long-time partner. I envy the youth of today. I still sometimes struggle when I recall the pain of hiding from everyone including myself for so many years. (M/66/Gay)
Story #2454
When I came out, it was really scary. I had other gender-queer friends, and my parents called them by their preferred names and pronouns, so how hard could it be? I had spent all day writing “I am genderfluid and I like girls” out of lego, on a huge lego base-plate. When the time finally came, I called my dad into my room, and whipped the sign from the its hiding place. Turns out he (and my mum) already knew! The next day, they both called me into their room “to have a little chat”. Turns out all they wanted to do was literally pry every last detail out of me. I couldn’t help but cry, as they kept asking, asking, asking. Now, a few months later, they still won’t let me buy any gender-neutral or boy clothes, and are actually against me getting anything that relates to pride. I tried to make my room (which was annoying girly) more gender-neutral, but all my parents did was question every item I hid, or threw away. So now, I live my life constantly having to pretend I’m something I’m not, without enough courage to tell them anything truthful ever again. (Genderfluid/Omniromantic [I think])
Story #2453
When I came out I didn’t want to. My trusted friend told everyone I was bisexual. I got so mad at her. When I confronted her about it, she said, “I swear on god I didn’t do it.” Then today during class she said, “I’m sorry I put the email out there. I shouldn’t have believed that rumor about you liking my crush” and she wants to be my friend again but I said no. She violated my trust and because of her someone told me I should die. But all of my friends support me.
Story #2452
When I came out I was 15 and at school. It was obvious that I was gay and I never really tried to hide it but would always deny it when asked. My best friend kept asking me who I liked and I kept deflecting the question. One day, after weeks of planning how I would say it, I said that I would tell her who I liked. She figured out that I was trying to come out but was scared to say the words. She asked me, “You’re gay? I’ve known since 3rd grade” and then we hugged and talked about it for a while. (M/15/Gay)
Story #2451
When I came out to my two best friends they were totally cool with it. I was scared they might be weird about it or hate me, but they just asked some questions and said they still loved me. I haven’t told my parents, but I’m going to soon. (F/12/Lesbian)
Story #2450
When I came out, I was 15 years old and on a pit stop at Starbucks during a high school field trip. While we waited for our drinks, my friend asked me outright if I was gay. And through tears, I said yes, and that I had never told anyone before—she hadn’t known it would be my first time coming out. Thank you to everyone who posted their stories on here; they gave so much strength to a closeted gay teen. (M/24/Gay)
Story #2449
When I came out, it was first to one of my closest friends, in January, and I was a stuttering mess; very embarrassing. She just smiled, and we continued with our day (I don’t believe she understood what I said since I was mumbling and stuttering). I came out properly to her last month. I came out to most of my friends and they’ve all been accepting since pretty much all my friends are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and it made me really happy. I came out to my mom and she is supporting, but doesn’t understand too well. I might come out to my sister and dad during pride month, but who knows. (F/13/Aroace [aromantic greysexual])
Story #2448
When I came out I was maybe 11 or 12. I was in the living room with my oldest sibling and my parents. (Both my siblings knew and are also queer.) All I said was “I’m bi.” My mom looked at me and said, “We don’t care who you love” and left. I know she meant that she’s accepting but it still kinda was strange. I had come out to one of my closest friends a few days before and he’s really accepting and is aroace. Most of my friends I never came out came out but I make jokes about how pretty girls are and stuff like that. More recently I thought about my gender and realized I am bigender and use she/him pronouns. All my friends who know were/are really accepting or were just like ‘okay’ (most of my friends are also LGBTQ+ so I expected this). (Bigender/13/Demiromantic/demisexual/bisexual)