Hey, everyone. I just started school -- today was my second day of class -- and I came out to two people today. I'm pretty much out of the closet in all parts of my life, except for my extended family in Korea. But still it's hard to have to start from scratch when you go to a new place, and you're just getting to know people, and you don't want your classmates to have something against you (b/c they're homophobic) or to think of you as "the gay kid." Anyway, a male and female classmate and I were discussing hot topics that might come up in this reproductive health class we're taking, and the female one brought up homophobia. "Are either of you homophobic?" she asked. And I said, "Well, I'm gay, so... no." The female student replied, "Oh, are you?" very matter-of-factly. And the guy said, "Are you afraid of yourself?" and smiled. It was totally a non-issue for them, and it made me feel really good for saying it and being honest and just getting it out of the way. And usually I hope that my classmates are not gossipy, but now I'm kinda hoping that they'll spread that through the grapevine so that I don't have to deal w/ coming out to other people. It's always nice when people just know that you're gay.
That's great. Just be honest about it. There is no need to say to every new person, "Hello, may name is so-and-so and I'm a homosexual." Be yourself, and be honest if someone asks. I'm glad your finding it welcoming and positive. Good luck at school!
Oh... I wish I could come out at college... I don't exactly hide it... and a couple of my closest friends/classmates know... but they won't go arround gossiping. The only problem is that the director of the department of informatics and electronic is friends with my father... and well... I know he'd tell him. Oh, yeah, I should probably mention that I attend to Catholic University, and so I don't know how well the staff would accept me. So far every single teacher I've had liked me, I'm not an asskisser, but I really and truly enjoy what I do, and they appreciate that. *hits self with lump* <-- stop being so self centered!! Anyway, I think it's great that you came out at school. It'll give you a good start... and a good chance to meet someone...
Hehe... when I came out, I waited to tell my one friend last, because I knew the second she found out, my whole college campus would know. I was right! Afterwards I told her about my plan, and she turned such a shade of red it was incredible she didn't pop. Either way... Congrats on getting into Med School!!! and on coming out again. Glad it went well.
Tougher one today, but another one nonetheless! I went out to lunch w/ a group of classmates today, and during lunch I commented on one girl's nose ring, which I liked a lot. She asked me if I was thinking of getting a nose ring, and I said no and then asked her if Indian boys get nose rings (I'm not Indian, but she is). And she said, "No, no... Well, unless they were gay, maybe, but you're not gay." And I said, "Actually, I am gay." I was a little nervous to tell her b/c I know she's a pretty devout Catholic (yeah, she's Catholic and Indian), and I had sort of hit it off w/ her before that. But she, too, was completely cool about it. She told me about a friend of hers who came out as a lesbian to her parents not long ago. So far, so good, I guess. Thanks for the support, everyone! It's nice to have people to share with!
Another week, another coming out story... A few of my classmates and I were waiting for class to start and practicing Spanish with each other. One guy who was there is of Mexican descent (and could speak fluent Spanish), another girl had lived in a Spanish-speaking country for a while (and could speak very proficiently), and the other girl and I had just taken Spanish in school. At one point, the Mexican guy said something very fast, and I didn't understand, so I asked him what he'd just said. "That I hate Asian men," he replied - joking, of course - but then one of the girls said, "Awww... that's mean!" So then the guy was like, "No, no... I-- I--" And then I said, "See, now you've gotten yourself stuck b/c you can't really say, 'No, I like Asian men.'" So we laughed for a bit, and then he said, "Hmm... That's interesting. I don't think I've actually ever met a gay Asian man before. I've met gay African-American men, gay white men, gay Mexican men, but I've never met a gay Asian man." And so that, of course, is when I chimed in: "Well, I'm gay, so now you know one." He was like, "Yay! Now I can check that off my list of things to see." Again, it went over very smoothly. Even though all my coming-out experiences here at school have been pretty easy thus far, it still feels really good each time another one comes and goes without a hitch.
