Well, over the summer I was planning on coming out to my family & to the world. My dad already knows & 100% supports me. The rest of my family isn't so open to this stuff, so how do I handle rejection? I feel pretty lost on how I would, I tend to get angry quickly when people show me rejection regarding my sexuality & I know that's probably normal, but not the way to handle things. When I head out to college & work how do I handle discrimination & whatnot if I'm ever faced with such? Thanks to everyone who tosses some advice in!
Good luck on coming out to everyone. Keep us updated with who and how it goes! I'm doubtful that you'll encounter discrimination much nowadays. As my boyfriend always says, "Uh... haven't you noticed? It's not cool to hate gays anymore." But, the thing you just have to get in your head is that you're not going to be able to change someone's opinion of gays if they're against us. Most likely, someone that discriminates against them isn't going to have their mind changed by a gay person, so there's really no point in getting angry with them. Whenever someone's said something negative to me, I'm usually just like, "Ok cool." As far as rejection from your family goes - that's a shitty subject, and I guess it really depends on how much they reject you (if they do). You should be mentally ready for it, but as far as reacting, I think that'll be something that depends on the situation.
Hi there! Congratulations on your coming out thus far, and I'm glad to read that your dad is 100% supportive of you. Even though the rest of your family might not be so open, I wouldn't go into it with: "they are going to reject me." While they might have a hard time with it at first, there is always the chance that they might come around to it. Your dad could very well be a very positive influence. When you come out, people will always take the cues from you (even if it is not apparent at first). If you treat your coming out, or even your sexual orientation, as an issue, others will do so too, and worst of all, you are getting yourself down for no reason. When you come out to the rest of your family and to others, treat it as being something completely normal - you will make it so much easier on yourself, plus the way others will react might also be different, perhaps even surprising. Given that your dad is 100% supportive, it might be worthwhile to enlist his support. Another thing you could do is to build up your support network. The stronger your support network is, the better you will be equipped to deal with any rejection that you might experience down the road. From now till you decide to come out to the rest of your family, try to build up your support network. Once you are at college, try to join a support group on campus, which could be an integral part of your support network as well.
I really don't have any advice, since I'm so very fledgling on coming out to people myself...but, I agree with the others that it's awesome that your dad is supportive, and that he can probably help. The eldest male of the household (21st century or not) still tends to set the tone for the family, so it can be a really positive thing to have "THE" dad, on your side. Of course, different families' mileage may vary...and in some households it's the reverse (Mom rules the roost). But just generally speaking. Good luck & best wishes JStevens. (*hug*)
