I'm gay. I'm sure of it. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I still live with my parents who are actually quite supportive of the LGBT community. But still.... I can't pluck up the courage to tell them. It's not that I'm scared that they'll react badly. It's more the fear of that awkward moment where I actually say it. I'm sure they already know I'm gay and they leave hints in conversations. But still I can't tell them. My sister and my very best friends know but since I have told them somehow we don't talk about the subject. They already knew or suspected it and took it well. But still I can't pick the subject up again. It just feels awkward to me somehow. I don't know why and how to get rid of it. Does anyone have some advice or is / has been in a similar situation?
I do feel awkward talking about my not being heteronormative with my family, but then they are not fully celebratory of the LGBT world...also, I practically always feel awkward when associating with other human beings... Many individuals feel awkward discussing anything romantic or sexual with their parents, regardless of their sexuality--the parent-child relationship had been defined since one's early childhood as one with an illusion of innocence, and both parties can feel a bit awkward when this is broken. Sexuality just adds another layer to the awkward, regardless of how accepting the parents are. Perhaps you can start by hinting back--if your mother, for example, is the type to make comments about a male she finds attractive, you can say something along the lines of "I agree" (presuming that you actually do agree). If you're the humorous type, and if your parents are appreciative of humor, perhaps you can use this element to defuse some of the awkwardness--I'm about as dry as they come, so I can't help much with this, but the internet has many funny people posting many funny things about coming out, including http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/24-awesomely-creative-ways-to-come-out-of-the-closet#svffy5 . Perhaps you could allude to the awkwardness directly--"Hey, guys, I have to tell you something, and I know that this is going to be a little awkward, but..."; this way, you'll both be expecting the awkwardness and thus have a few moments to mentally prepare yourself (also, they may soothe your fears by stating something along the lines of 'Oh, that wasn't awkward at all. We knew that! We thought you were going to say that you got someone pregnant!'). Best of luck and success to you in this venture.
Coming out does feel awkward and unnatural. We live in a hetero-normative world and the only people who have to contradict the expectations and values of that world are members of the LGBT community - people like you and me. Coming out doesn't have to take place in a conversation though. If it feels really awkward or difficult, why not use a letter instead? It's a tried and trusted method and you can find some examples here Empty Closets - Coming Out Letters The good thing about a letter is that you get time to collect and compose all of your thoughts and say everything without interruption. In a coming out conversation, that rarely happens, as we are often bombarded with questions and comments, even from the most supportive of people. So, take a look at those letters and see if they offer any inspiration.
