LGBT Stories of Wattpad

Anonymous Interview 1

What do you identify as (gender, sexuality, romatic etc, etc)?:

I'm asexual. I still like girls though, so I usually just lump them together and call myself a lesbian.

Do you mind explaining what those terms mean for those in our audience who might not understand, or if you may have a different meaning than most people?:

Asexual for me means I don't feel any sort of sexual feeling. For some people they're apathetic towards the thought of sex, others are actively grossed out by it. I'm sort of in the middle on that one, it really doesn't appeal to me personally.

Did/do you ever struggle with accepting yourself? If yes, why?:

My realization of being not-straight was kind of a whirlwind event, everything happened so quickly. But it was also a long process trying to figure out who I was; I thought I was bisexual at age 13, and it took over a year to realize that wasn't the case, and that I was really asexual and didn't care much for boys at all. I've always been pretty confident in myself, though, so there was never a point where I felt ashamed of who I was. It was more that I was just struggling to figure things out.

Have you come out of the closet to your family? If so, how did they react?:

I came out to my mom like two days after my first "girlfriend" and I started "dating;" all we did was hold hands in the hallways and it lasted less than a week, but it was a big step for me, not least of all because it was also my first relationship period. I've never been good at keeping my own secrets though, so I told my mom I was bisexual on the way home from school. She was fine with it, and she told my dad for me cuz I was shaken up enough as it was. Of course, I'm not bisexual, and I've told my dad at least about being ace (asexual), but I don't know that he or any other adults I could tell would understand it. But as I've grown up I've found tons of friends that are also LGBT, and they're the best support group I could imagine. I'm lucky at least that my parents never got angry or upset with me being gay, if anything they seem apathetic. We never talk about it, which used to hurt (still does a little) but like I said, I've got so many friends to relate to now that it's not such a big deal anymore.

What advice would you give other member of LGBT who may be closeted or having a hard time accepting themselves?:

First and foremost, don't put yourself in danger. If it's dangerous for you to come out to your parents or be openly out in your community, don't risk it. Your life and safety is worth way more than anything else. It's gonna be tough, no doubts, but you can make it, and with any luck you'll find people who've gone through the same and know how to help you. Maybe you don't know what you are yet, or you don't know how to accept yourself; take your time. It took me more than a year to figure it all out, it takes some people even longer. There's no rush, really. And you've got people all over the world who know what you're going through, and they're happy to answer your questions or just support you. The more the merrier, after all! And whether or not you find your best support in huge pride parades, LGBT organizations, or local groups, they've all got the same goal. No matter what you're going through, you're not the first to experience it. (And hey, look up some LGBT history to confirm it! It goes back waaaaayy further than the stonewall riots, i promise, and it's fascinating. :D)

Thanks for that interview Anonymous! It's the new guy Yamakoshi here and I just want to say it's awesome that I can work alongside Roslyn and Sparks to help people. Especially as this is something close to my heart. Feel free to PM me at yamakoshi48 if you have anything you want to talk about. Even just to chat, I'm a pretty chill guy and it's nice to here other points of view on such a wide topic. 

So thanks and hope this helps anyone out there!