Happy National Coming Out Day! Are you planning to come out to anyone today? I'm pondering calling my grandparents and/or posting something on facebook.
Happy day, Katchoo! ---------- Post added 11th Oct 2016 at 08:57 AM ---------- It would be cool to have a thread where we all post our coming out stories. Even if they're only to ourselves.
A friend shared a National Coming Out Day graphic on Facebook this morning. So I shared it on my timeline and came out to all my Facebook friends. I debated with myself for quite a while before clicking "send" to post it. But what better time than today!
Maybe not today. I only came to the realization of this a few days ago. But I have shared it with a couple close FB friends (I don't really have any RL friends soooo yeah)
I considered waiting till today, but I couldn't. so I came out in May. but I posted a happy coming out day message on my facebook.
You know maybe in a way I did participate. Last night I couldn't sleep and the last thing I posted (right before midnight) was this: I just wanted to say, I am who I am. So sure I celebrated cause that was code for I finally understand my sexuality and who I am and I accept me for me
Never say never...but I truly doubt I'll come out to anyone today. At this point, for a variety of reasons, I can't afford to be out. Past that, there aren't any people to really come out to. Friends? EC has already seen my whines about my lonely existence. Family? Only family I have regular in person contact with is my father, and I'm already a huge disappointment to him. Why make it worse by being (shudder!) openly gay? Extended family doesn't feel close enough to make coming out feel right. For that matter, I'm not sure I really am interested in being fully, publicly out until/unless I'm in a relationship, at which point my approach might be simply being public with the relationship's existence, and letting people draw their own conclusions what it may mean.
OK, I took this bull by the horns. I felt really nervous posting my 'coming out' message on Facebook yesterday morning. I probably should have told my wife I was going to do it before posting but all worked out very well. She also posted on Facebook that I'd come out. We both received an amazing, universally positive, outpouring of support from friends and acquaintances near and far, gay and straight. Then at Rotary I got up during our 'bucks in the bay' moment and said, "Today is National Coming Out Day and I am." I got as much applause as other members who spoke about their vacations, football team victories, wine tasting, or anything else. Later I received a couple of affirming e-mails from members. I'm not the only gay member of our club, but I think I'm the only gay guy. Three weeks ago I couldn't have done any of this. But I decided to "own it" and believe in who I am. It still feels a bit unreal. Forty years is a long time to have tried to believe I was straight.
I couldn't ask for a better friend as I go through this than my wife. Here's what she posted on Facebook for Coming Out Day: "Today is National Coming Out Day, and so my dear, sweet husband of 35 years came out! It occurred to me that our many mutual FB friends might not know how to react to this news, so I'll fill you in a bit. We've been working through this for about two months now, and with the support from a counselor, my family, our sons, and a few friends on both sides, we have decided to continue working together in the family business, share our home because neither of us want to move, and we will divorce and be best friends forever." In a strange way, my coming out has strengthened our relationship. I just hope we can continue to be open, loving, and caring. I had become secretive and perhaps even withdrawn in the last few years. I didn't even see anything wrong in that until I came out and we started talking again. It's still a struggle, but I think I'm a better person today than I was earlier this year.
