It's corny, it's a cliché, but it's true! For the most part. At least it is for me. For others it can be less true or it can be a straight up lie. Some of us get kicked out of our homes, some of us are abused, some of us even get sent away in order to "normalize" us; to make us into something we're not.
It's a scary place to be, the closet. We fear the love given to us is conditional and are terrified to have it confirmed. Regardless of whether it is scary or not we have a right to feel what we feel and be who we are.
In the long term, being out is a blessing. You don't have to wonder what it would be like to be free. You simply are. Yes there is bigotry, there is hate but living your life with the truth behind you is an empowering motivator.
There's this weight taken off of you. You may have heard this a million times before, but it's completely true. Before I came out to even myself I always had this pressure, always, always this pressure on top of me, claiming me for its own. To the point where some days you don't even notice it because it's always with you, always there. You only really fully realize that it was really there when it's gone. And when it's gone, you're happy.
Yes the hate, yes the bigotry will always - but hopefully not - be there but isn't it worth it to feel free? Isn't it worth it to be happy?
