Today is my 26th birthday

No advice, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday xxx

 

I dont think you can be too old, people have found love far older than you! However if there isn't much of a downside to you coming out then why not do it and live your life as you want>?

 

There's no "right" time to come out, whenever you think you're ready.

Happy birthday by the way.

 

Happy Birthday! Xx

 

Not too old at all.

And happy birthday BTW

Maybe plan to 'out yourself' to a person every few months and before long you'll be completely out and the closet disappeared !!

 

Happy birthday

Look, this is your life! No one else's. Not your friends, not your parents, not your siblings, not your colleagues, nor anyone else's. It's your life - why do you continue to deny yourself happiness because you are afraid of what people might think?

I'm not trivialising this by the way - that paragraph above was actually the thought in my head before I finally came out. It is not selfish to want to be happy, and you deserve to be. You can never, ever, ever be too old to come out! Ask yourself: do you want to look back when you're an old man and regret everything because you were afraid of what others might think? Of course coming out is scary; it's bloody terrifying! But it's also hugely liberating.

You are a human being who happens to be gay. You deserve to love and be loved as much as anyone else does. If people have a problem with that, that's their problem; not yours. I think you'll find anyway that most people like you for who you are, not whatever your sexuality is. Anyone else isn't worth bothering about.

So let's make this birthday a turning point. Every new day is the first day of the rest of your life. You can choose to continue to be unhappy, or you can choose something different; self-acceptance. Once you find that, I promise everything will improve

 

I like this idea! If I ever work up the courage, I'm totally doing this. Happy b-day, OP. You're never too old. (*hug*)

 

Never too old! I'm 27 and I came out a few months ago... and I had exactly the same questions/fears as you have. (Why now? Why at 27? How do I explain it to friends/family, how do I explain it to myself? Old "girlfriends"? etc. etc.). The truth is everyone is different and everyone has different catalysts that make them take the final jump. For me it took 27 years to figure it out, and that's ok! Scariest moment of my life and also the most liberating. It's not an easy process especially in your 20's, but every day I wake up happier and more confident and have no doubt that I made the right decision.

For you it took 26, and it may take longer - and that's ok too. Don't rush it because you feel that time is ticking - it's an emotional moment in your life and, at least for me, I felt like I needed to go into it with full resolve. But it's never to late to get that resolve, and if you feel you have it now, then all the more power to you. You have the balls to start posting here and that's an excellent first step.

What do your 3 friends think? Ask them, they can be your best advocates and encouragers. Are they all straight? The first person I came out to was gay (coincidentally childhood friend) and the second was straight - I found the amount of support from that straight friend in particular to my incredibly inspiring. Being a little removed from the process, they can be a really good sounding board to help you think logically about the situation, and they might just have some helpful advice too.

and happy birthday!

 

Happy belated birthday!

I'm 44 and I just came out. It's never too late. I wish I had been honest with myself all these years and come out earlier. I do feel like I'm missed a lot. However, you can't rush yourself. You'll know when you're ready, but if you're upset with yourself for not being out more, then maybe you are ready. If so, take a deep breath and rip the band aid off! If you know the three people you're already out to are supportive, they can be there for you. You're not alone. It is scary, but so worth it!

 

Awesome! I turn 26 on Saturday!

I want to come out to my parents. They are really religious (I am too, but my religious convictions tend to be a bit more liberal than theirs). I feel for you! I am out to almost everyone else in my life who is more than an acquaintance, though. My advice, which I plan to carry out myself on Bisexual Pride day (September 23), is to go ahead and do it unless you are in a situation where you are dependent on someone you think will act negatively.

 

I don't think it's a matter of how old you are when you come out, but for how long have you delayed coming out once you understood and accepted your sexuality and/or gender. I'm just figuring this out at 41, but only just turned on the lights this year, and should be fully out before the end of the year. Staying closeted any longer than that would drive me crazy and make me miserable, and that is exactly what I'm trying to get past by exploring these issues.

Ultimately, it's your life and your life's details will determine when, where, how and how long. Good luck and happy birthday!

 

Congrats Draco!

 

here's what worries me. I came out this year (27) - at least to my social/friends. family doesnt know, but i dont spend much time with them and dont feel it is holding my life back.

I'm finding it very hard to get back the parts of me that I've hidden for so long.. habits fade, but never completely.. the longer you pretend, the more rubs off on you. While it's amazingly liberating to be able to be me, I feel parts of me were lost forever - like when I look back to my childhood before I worried about hiding 'gay' .. I dont think ill ever get back to that completely. Not just because childhood is innocent, but because I buried it so deep for so long.

As for the best years being gone? Nope.. Sure - the people you look at around you of your age, and think they've had the best life so far - they've burned the brightest. But others will burn just as bright at different points through life.

I say come out ASAP, but dont worry about 'losing your best years' - some people's best years dont come until they're in their 70s.. Yes, alot of people get nostalgic about their youth - and I'm one of them - but honestly I feel like I'm just starting to wind up to the most important and amazing years of my life.. I really feel like I'm rising above alot of people who've burnt out or been tied down with commitments they rushed into, etc..

I've been devastatingly low.. I've 'wasted' (it's not a waste if you learn from it) years more than most. I'm not quite there yet.. I'm still working through things, still finding myself.. when others found themselves 10+ years ago.. But I WILL dominate life, I will have my amazing unbelievable life - and so will you

 

Love this...