I came to this forum for research, and because I definitely plan to promote my film here when it's finished. Those were my only intents. But after having spent some time reading stuff that many of you have written in different threads, I've reached the decision that it's time for me to come out, in my own small way. I'm straight. But I experimented with homosexuality in college. I've never shared this fact with anybody, because I come from the typical homophobic background. I'm now seeing that I shouldn't hide the fact that I experimented. There's nothing wrong with it, and though my experimentation only affirmed in me the fact that I love women very much, I shouldn't pretend that I once tried men.
Bravo! That takes some courage as a straight man. Only if the world wasn't so hard on guys who experiment :/ ---------- Post added 11th Sep 2016 at 05:14 PM ---------- Would love to see your film, what's it about?
Congratulations, filmmakingally! You've taken a big step to better understanding and being comfortable/at peace with yourself! As Fighter694 said, it really takes courage for a straight man to come out about experimenting with homosexuality. And it takes a very thoughtful and brave person to be open enough to reflect and admit the truth to himself. There is never anything wrong with experimenting to help you define who you really are. It is only by questioning and experimenting that we can truly come to understand and accept our own personal sexuality. For many in the LGBTQ community, that is often a longer and rougher road than for most straight people, but the end result of the journey is the same. In the Coming Out process, I believe the most important thing is for an individual to first understand and accept their own sexuality. It’s much harder to deal with people who won’t accept your Coming Out if you are still questioning yourself (your own sexuality). It’s never easy to deal with sceptics, doubters and haters when someone Comes Out, but it is easier not to let their skepticism, doubt, and hatred influence you when you are already comfortable in your own knowledge of your sexuality. Sorry, sorta got on soapbox there.:lol: Good luck with your movie!
Congratulations and be safe. If the people in your personal life refuse to make an effort to accept you, remember that you aren't obligated to keep them in your life. Surround yourself with people who are good for you. Good luck.
Thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for the well-wishes! I'll be honest though, at least for me, it wasn't a difficult decision. In addition to admitting it here, I also mentioned it to a coworker today, who has previously joked about my sexuality, by asking me the closest I've ever come to a homosexual experience. I explained to him my reasoning -- that if I'm going to make a movie that endorses and supports homosexual men Coming Out, then I better practice what I preach. If I hide in shame about my experimentation, then I'd just be perpetuating a system of oppression. I respect the right of any LGBT+ person to keep their sexuality private; that's their prerogative. At the same time, I strongly feel like we need to end the homophobia that exists in America, and the world as a whole. Oh, and things went very well with the coworker. He's basically a comedian, and like many comedians, his humor pushes the boundary of decency sometimes. But he's actually a really cool guy and was very supporting of my reason to be honest about it, and is supportive of the cause to end homophobia. ---------- Post added 12th Sep 2016 at 12:57 AM ---------- EDIT -- I've learned that it's against forum rules to promote commercial products, and I totally respect that. I'll have to walk a fine line between talking about my film, vs. promoting it.
