Coming Out
A perosnal piece
It’s been almost a year since I “came out” to my friends and family. I have grown into my true self this year which has made me stronger and more confident as a young man. 
People ask me all the time when did I know that I was gay? To be completely honest, I have no idea. I don’t think I was born gay. I feel like it’s been more of an evolving process of self-discovery through the years.

However, the one thing that has been upsetting is how people are prone to classifying me as straight or gay. Why should that matter? As long as I remember, people have always been trying to determine what my sexual preference. It was last summer, after my first year of college when I started to come to terms with my sexuality. For the longest time, I always felt that I had to hide something. I was constantly judging myself in the way I talk or act because I never wanted to be perceived as being “gay.”
It was a late summer afternoon and I had gotten lunch with my mom and we started talking about my recent trip to Italy. My mom brought up the discussion of relationships and I knew immediately where she was heading with this topic. At that very moment, I confessed to her that I was gay and it was the most liberating feeling EVER! We both sobbed and my mom told me with confidence
“I don’t care if you like men or women. What I care about is that you are happy, kind, loving and surrounded by good friends.  Stay true to your faith and all great things will come your way. If anyone dares to put you down because of who you choose as a partner then they can f**k off.”
From that very moment forward, I knew I could finally accept myself for who I am. Open arms and hearts best describes the experience I have had in coming out to friends and family. 

 Two years have passed and I would be lying if I said it has been easy. With dating and finding people who I want to surround myself with I have had to dig deep into my faith. I think the best advice I can give to myself and others is when you feel you are doubting yourself and going down a negative path make the mental shift in your thoughts and focus on a visual image when you felt you were happy and free. Applying this exercise will help to eliminate negative thoughts. To anyone who has come out or is still figuring themselves out in this process, I can say is don’t feel like you have to choose or decide who you are or what you are because you feel like society is forcing you to be something. Be yourself and know you are amazing. 
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