Coming Out Stories

Story 8

When I came out just over 5 years ago I never thought I'd be able to get married, let alone lead efforts to end discrimination against gay & bisexual men with the National Gay Blood Drive. I never told my story as it was all too painful. I am proud to say, after years of work I am here. I thought that by not coming out I could somehow undo my sexuality, even after praying the-gay-away failed so... On September 19, 2010 I told my mom, dad, sister and being a child of the Internet, told Facebook that yes, I am gay. Despite my fears, my Catholic family didn't just accept me but embraced me. I went to school on Monday to high-fives and hugs from teachers. 3 days after I came out, the world around me came crashing down. Tyler Clementi, a student at Rutgers University died after jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Days earlier Tyler's roommate setup a webcam to spy on him. The roommate viewed him in an intimate act and invited others to view this online. He discovered what his abuser had done, that he was planning a second attempt and had widely become a topic of ridicule. Tyler was eighteen years old. No longer was I receiving statements of support but statements of concern. "Always protect yourself" "Make sure you have a single room in college" "Are you talking to a therapist about this?" I was 15. From late September 2010 through April of the next year I saw over 100 stories in the national news about LGBT teens taking their own life. That's what I thought I was destined for so I began to internalize a daily war. With a lot of work, the best therapists in the world and the consistent support of friends and family, I made it. Coming out & living an honest life was the hardest, but the best decision I ever made.

Amazing. Never looked back. There's a whole world and community waiting for you.