Coming out as gay is never easy, even if you are fairly certain that your family will be completely accepting. Here is a coming out story that went well for Austin.
My name is Austin, and I came out on December 28, 2014. We had fetched my sister from cheer and were driving home. In between picking her up and going home, we stopped and ate. I was texting my friend from New York because I had wanted to come out before we ate, and he’s already out. He’s been my support system for over a year now, and has really helped me accept who I am. I asked him what I should do, and he said to do what I want – that it was entirely my decision.
Picture of Austin who came out
So, after dinner, on the way home, we stopped for gas. My sister had been talking about a list of “Random Facts” she made with a friend the previous night. She told my parents that ‘Random Fact #1’ is the Snoop Dogg is not actually a dog. My dad asked what ‘Random Fact #2’ was, and I saw the opportunity to tell them, so I did. I didn’t even think about it really, I just said “That I’m gay.” My dad turned around and looked at me in shock and said “What?” I was really hoping that I didn’t have to say it again – saying it once was hard enough.
So I repeated it, and he said “Oh,” and got out to fill gas. My mom asked if I thought that they wouldn’t accept me and I said “No.” My best friend has lesbian moms and we have gay family. Also, my sister is a competitive cheerleader, and many male coaches are gay. We talked about it in the car for a bit, then dropped it. When we were at home, my mom texted me, “I just want to tell you how incredibly proud I am of you (without embarrassing you which is why I’m texting you). It took a lot of courage to come out to us. Not that we would ever react negatively to that news but I’m sure it wasn’t easy. If you ever want to talk about anything, you know we are always here. I’m sure if you ever had any questions on how to deal with reactions, life, anything… I’m sure you could always talk to Jordan or Jacob… or even Taylor. Plus there’s Brittney. We love you regardless of your sexual orientation.”
I was honestly terrified of how they would react, but they took it well. And it was great. I’m so happy that I did it, and it took guts, but I did it. If anyone ever needs to talk, I’m here. Tweet me at @ThatYoungGay. It will be okay, I promise.