Hello! I've been browsing through some threads, and I've decided that this seems like an incredible community. So, I'll go ahead and share my coming out stories. For all intensive purposes, I'm 17. I e-mailed my best friend around February, basically telling him that I'm gay and it really isn't my choice, and that I hope he can still love me. He didn't reply to the e-mail, and often I wondered if he ever read it. He came out to me yesterday, and he mentioned that he was able to tell me because I've been so supportive. It made me feel good. He has a boyfriend and I've been struggling with some fears about that, but I'm just glad that he told me. The first time I told someone out loud was my other best friend. We just spent the whole evening together, and we were parked at my house. I told him that I had to have an intense conversation with him, so we just sat there. I, being an unassertive fool, took about 30 minutes of just sitting there in the awkward tension, but he was really supportive the whole time and encouraged me to take my time. He suggested that I type it on my phone, so I gave that a shot. I realized I was still in numerical mode and I just commented on how it said "I'm 46." He looked at his phone and then he just asked me if I was gay, to which I said yes. He said that he'd always defend me, and we gave each other a big hug. I also told another one of my friends via MSN, but these are the only 3 who know and who I would want to know. Once I get out of this highly Mormon environment, I think it'll be easier. To anyone who hasn't come out yet, I highly advise it.
Congratulations on taking those first steps. It gets easier and easier each time, and your confidence goes up as you have more supportive people around you. I know it can be particularly tough in the Mormon community because of the Church's policy on excommunication and the close-knit nature of most Mormon families, but you'll get through it, and it sounds like you're already building a community of support around you with your friends. Please continue to contribute to the community here at EC and share your ongoing story, as it will be an inspiration and help to others.
congrats thats great coming out youve got some great friends and someone who really understands you very happy for you
It's always such a relief when you come out and are accepted for who you are. It gets easier,the more you do it. There's no rush,though. This is something you need to do,at your own pace. Congratulations and welcome to the EC family.
Hey - thanks everyone for your supportive replies! It's great to know that I'm not alone in this. I look forward to getting to know this community. Today's been a nice, relaxing Sunday.
Just came out to a fourth friend over the phone. So, this pretty much marks the first time I've told someone "I'm gay." I cried a lot, but she thought that it was really cool that I could trust her enough to tell her, and she supports me entirely.
It's great that you're making progress so quickly. It must also feel good to let all of those pent up feelings out and be able to cry as you can finally be yourself to the people you know Keep building the network of people around you; that way, when you encounter the occasional "bump in the road" in the process, you'll have plenty of people around you to support you and remind you of all the goodness
Congratulations! It's awesome that you took these steps. The first coming outs or always the hardest. The more you get comfortable with others knowing, the easier it will get. It's great that a friend could come out to you and he could trust you. You have started to build a great support network. Way to go!!
