Hiya- I'm going to Catholic school in about 2/3 of a year, and I was wondering if anybody had any experience coming out to religious teens or closed minded teens. (I couldn't go through high school without telling people) I have told one of my Catholic friends, and she took it rather well, so is it like that most of the time? Everyone I've told has been great (They've had a general "tell me something I don't know" attitude.) I just want to know how to be respectful and friendly about it, so that nobody starts flipping out as soon as I tell them.
Well it depends on what you mean by a Catholic school, and I imagine it's different in various parts of the U.S. I go to a Catholic school here in Ireland, and there are several openly gay teachers, the guidance counsellor is gay, and there are ten to fifteen openly gay people in my year alone. No-one has any problems. I would think that most teenagers nowadays are fairly open-minded. And the one's who aren't are usually the people with preconceived notions. When they see you're a normal human being, they'll realise that whatever they thought about gay people doesn't compute with the reality and come around. You're bound to come across people who are close-minded, but you'll get that anywhere. The most important thing to do is make good friends and test the waters about these kind of topics and see their reactions. I definitely wouldn't go in and shout it around the place. And I wouldn't feel the need to say "Hey, I'm Dave and I'm gay" either. Being gay is just one part of you —*it shouldn't define you. It's cool to be open about it and tell people if they ask you, but there's no need to stand up on a podium and inform the whole school either!
