Hi I'm really new to coming out. I've been living in a household of religious folks before I can even remember. I'm not one to express myself in many words as I kinda want to hear other peoples thoughts before my own. I'm not sure what my orientation is...actually I know what my orientation is, I've just got a rude stepfather that won't accept what I tell him. He keeps capping me off as "straight" because "The Bible says you are". Don't get me wrong, I am seriously religious but I have feelings that tell me I'm not going "the right way on a one way street". I've gotten to the point that I've become so insensitive of my own feelings that I call myself the "f" word for you know what...along with other derogatory names that seamlessly appear in my mind then I helplessly put that on others as if they were saying it. I'm a real batch job, and I'm just looking for a place where people are not afraid of their feelings towards the "g__" subject. Does this make sense? :help:
Hi and welcome to EC! :smilewave First off, the way it sounds right now, it will take a while before you are able to fully accept yourself as gay (yes, I said it). This is a great place for you to meet people who will help you come to terms with yourself, and come out to your family.
Hello! It's great you found your way here. You'll find that there are quite a few people going through the same thing (*hug*) I myself come from a religious household so I know the whole "because the bible tells you so" speech, no fun. People here are pretty dang awesome and really supportive, don't be afraid to ask questions!
Hi there. Welcome. I hope this forum can help you become more comfortable with being gay with all our endless love or support and also to help you come out to the people who matter most to you. Good luck! (*hug*)
Welcome Only been here for a few days myself. It's a nice place. ---------- Post added 19th Aug 2011 at 09:53 PM ---------- Oh, and just to make one point about the religion bit ... I come from a religious family too, although I'm no longer religious ... that aside, people often use religion as an excuse to say what other people should and should not do and be. Not all Christians have problems with gays, in fact a whole lot of them don't, so don't let that comment affect who you are and what you believe in.
welcome. God has no problems with gays its people that use God's name for their own personal sword to slay everyone THEY don't agree with.....and check out my sig it's fun too
Welcome to EC Unlike your stepfather, and perhaps other in you life, we are all here to acknowledged you for who you are, and we are all ready give you the support and advice that you need in order to help yourself. I hope to see you sticking around, this really is one of the best places to discover yourself.
Thanks for all the warm greetings. It's nice to meet all of you. Sorry about the delayed response, I just go through times where I completely acknowledge the fact that I'm gay and most other times just deny it. So please, don't be put off by my lack of response.
Welcome (back)! Come and go as you please! It's not something to be ashamed of. We all have lives that we have to maintain, and sometimes it just isn't the right time to confront big personal issues like this. But at the same time, we'd love to help you out (just like I secretly hope that people like you will help me out!). So if you aren't too afraid, feel free to speak up here. I've only really been going through a similar phase for a couple of months, and I know exactly how it feels to have moments of "yes, I am" and "no, I'm not." Sounds like you've been dealing with this for years and years, and I hope you at least realize you're not alone in having these thoughts. Maybe they aren't "normal" from society's point of view, or from the perspective of the society which wrote the Bible a few millennia ago, but whatever you're feeling is the only thing you can personally call "normal." It's awkward, and it's not the way your friends and family feel (who knows - maybe someone you know is hiding something from you!?), but let's face it, it's fundamentally out of your control. We would all be leading a straight life if that's what actually felt "normal" to us. It's honorable for you to be a religious person (I'm not, but I definitely respect individuals who are responsibly religious), and your religion is something that should make you proud of who you are and what opportunities you have been provided, not ashamed of who you are not and what you cannot change. It sounds like you were brought up in a morally sound environment, so I honestly don't see how "nurture" could have made you gay. Therefore, I'm going to assume that this is a product of the "nature" side of things. The deepest part of my heart tells me that God would NEVER have created gay people just to remind heterosexuals that it's not okay. Dooming a population to damnation for the sake of "threatening" straight people just seems cruel, unjust, and a complete waste. Especially since heterosexuals pretty turned off by that stuff anyway. I feel like the teachings of Christianity are on the whole just, compassionate, and beneficial to society. However, I am not a fan of absolute interpretation. God must have given us free will for a reason...choose which messages will really make a difference in the world we live in! Which of these situations makes a greater impact on society: having a crush on that guy or choosing to enter a burning building to try to save your neigbor? Sure, there may be a part of you that isn't fundamentally Christian, but I'd say that your heart is right where it belongs, because you're upholding the part that truly affects other people over yourself. In fact, it can't be that bad to love another man if that's exactly the kind of love he wants, needs, and deserves. I sincerely hope that God makes a little wiggle room in heaven for those particularly good homosexuals out there, the ones who do the big things all right. I understand that this is a huge moral dilemma for you, and I just want to say that I hope that religion continues to be a blessing in your life and in the lives of others. Change what you can, and loosen up on things that you just can't. There are too many good things you can do with your life instead of worrying about the things you aren't so proud of! Live, laugh, love! You've found this place, so you definitely aren't alone as you move forward.
