GLBT: What's your coming out story?

Well, first of all, I've been a guy all my life. It just took me some time to come to realize it. My first real recollection of expressing to anyone else my sexual orientation was in 4th grade. That was..hmm, let's see..1989. It didn't really go over well. I told my best friend, and by 5th grade, she was determined that she was going to find me a boyfriend. She asked EVERY guy in my class to 'go out' with me. They all said no. They said I was too much like ';one of the guys';. I first came out as what I thought was ';lesbian'; back in 1996. I was 16 and in high school. The only people I'd ever heard of or seen in the media that were female bodied, yet looked and acted very masculine, and liked girls were called butch lesbians. So that's what I thought *I* was too. Back then, things weren't ';horrible'; for GLBT people, but they certainly weren't like they are now. I grew up in a very conservative, redneck, ';white trash'; type environment in the midwest. Kids in my school were cruel. I was called dyke, bulldyke, carpet muncher, etc. I had kids put their fingers on their heads like horns and ';moo'; at me. I was pretty much ';voted out'; of gym class, because girls in my class were afraid I was going to molest them or something, I dunno...big egos I suppose, because I wanted none of them. They were all snooty bi*ches. But whatever. I was in theatre, and after practice other girls in my high school tried to run me over in the parking lot after practice. I had a lot of vindictive sh*t done to me by girls I played with on the softball team.





When I graduated high school, I got tired of the abuse, and decided I was going to learn how to stand up for myself. So I joined the Marine Corp. Yeah..when you tell someone you have military combat skills to know how to take down a 300 pound man with one hand, it tends to instill a little fear and intimidation in people. :D But in boot camp, there I saw OTHER very masculine females who had a ';I'm not taking sh*t off anyone'; type attitude. It was then that I started falling in love with butch women. Omg, they just make me MELT. But, after getting out of the military, and associating with the ';lesbian scene';, I started to come to realize that this label didn't describe me either. Something wasn't right. Something was missing. I still felt like something inside of me wasn't being exhibited or put out there for others to see just who and what I am.





At the age of 18, I started going through spells of serious depression. I was hospitalized in a psych ward 3 times for suicide attempts. I started to really examine my life and my inner being. It was then that I allowed my gender identity issues to surface, and I decided to face them, instead of thinking ';oh it's just a phase, it will go away'; and ignore it. I first verbalized my thoughts and feelings to my best guy friend, who supported me. He helped me find a therapist and everything.





I started seeing a therapist at the age of 19, but at that time it was only for the depression. By the age of 22, the therapy started to focus on my gender dysphoria. At the age of 22, I was diagnosed with GID (Gender Identity Disorder) and began transition. I started with just dressing, presenting, and living as male. By the age of 24, I started testosterone hormones. On my 25th birthday, I legally changed my name to Riley. Now I'm 29, and living 100% as male. I'm in college (a senior..graduate in December) majoring in medical technology, and living life the best way I know how, in a body that finally feels like 'home'. :-)





Sorry for the novel, but I came out twice. LOL. Please share your story.GLBT: What's your coming out story?
I haven't came out..and i dont think i ever will, bc most all my family is very religious and they all think im the perfect christian guy..i also sing in church and everyone thinks that god gave me this gift for a reason..and i'd like to use it for christian rock..so if i came out theyd all treat me like im an alien and wouldnt accept me..so im planning on changing by myself or trying something like being hypnotized (which my gpa did and it helped him to quit smoking and drinking for good) although id like to experience that a type gay relationship..i couldnt ever come out bc it wouldnt help me at all..jus alienate me...i hope that didnt depress anyone..im not trying to..lol..but i live with it everyday im sure it can't b too much for someone to read





and for the person above me..thats not lame..lol...thats good that they were proud of you..cuz they couldve disowned u..but instead they hugged uGLBT: What's your coming out story?
I have yet to come out.


End of story.





Hopefully this story takes off again this next year when I plan to come out.
';What? So it's wrong to touch my brother's penis? Only gay people do that? I'm a sick freak? Can I touch your penis, too?';
Wow. I don't have a coming out story. No one knows a lot about me, and I haven't labelled myself.
I never came out, I just told a bunch of people
ok Im confused, did you have a sex change at some point? I havent read the whole thing but you say you know youve been a guy your whole life (uhh yeah?) also how could you come out as a lesbian, if your a guy? how could you come out twice? idk im confused
Mine is laammmeee.





:)





My whole family, excluding my 8 year old sister, were visiting my Dad at his workplace, So I figured it would be a perfect time to tell them. We were about to get in the car to go home, and I said, ';Well, I have something important to tell you guys.'; They all looked at me, and I just said, ';I'm gay.'; They asked me if I was joking, I told them no, and I just started sobbing. My mom and dad came over and started hugging me, and told me they were proud of me for being able to tell them. Everything really took its course from there.





The end :D
I'm out, but I never came out. It's complicated, but I'll tell it.





OK, well to start I should probably say that I have always been in love with my best friend. One day about 9 months ago he stayed over my house like he often does. He was acting weird the whole night. A few hours in he chugged a few beers, then just flat out asked me if I was gay. I told him I was, but told him not to tell anybody, because I wasn't ready to come out.





Two months later him, one of our other friends, and I decided to hang out and get wasted one night. I got black-out drunk, didn't remember a bit of the night, and woke up in my bed (I usually don't sleep in my bed when more than one other friend is at my house.) When my friends woke up they decided to show me the videos that the friend I hadn't told had taken of the night before. There were nearly 2 hours of video showing me calling out to my best friend, telling my best friend I loved him, clinging on to my best friend while he was sitting/laying on the couch, and stuff like that. Within the week pretty much everyone I know saw the videos. I never needed to come out.
let's see my story goes..





It was one day in January when my mom picked me up from school. We had just gotten assigned our research papers which were going to be due in about two months. Our topic was in justice and intolerance in America. She gave us a list of topics that were good to write ours on. LGBT issues were on the list of topics and so i was going to pick that one because duh i'm gay. Well when i got into the car i told my mom about my day and stuff. I told her about my research paper and what i was going to do my topic on. I said something about gay issues. Then my mom was like oh really? and i was like yeah. She said then that she did a paper on gay adoption for her humanities class when she was going for her degree. So i thought oh ok. Then she was like why that topic? I was like because i am interested that stuff and because i am gay myself. (BAM I JUST DROPPED THE BOMBSHELL) i didn't even mean to say it. it just kinda slipped out. anyway. that was a majorly awkward car ride. and we talked about it and i cried on her arm the rest of the way home. When i got home i thought she was ok with it just shocked and i knew i would have to give it time to sink in. So the next three days went by and God was my stomach in knots and stuff. It was terrible. But then Friday came and it was just me and my mom at home. She called me into her room and then we e talked about me being gay. She said some hurtful things that i can't even believe she would say to me. And i was like crying so hard like it was unbearable having to hear that from your mom. I was angry at her and when we were over i went into my room and cried myself to sleep. That whole rest of the week and part of the next i cried. My mom then said me that she told my dad and i was like ok. They were like we are going to deal with this as a family. I was like its not a freakin disease. I am just gay its not a big deal. Then it was never really mentioned ever. And then long time passes and about two weeks ago i was in Gainsville for my brothers college orientation. It was night at the hotel me my mom and my dad were sitting by the pool at a table. and my brother was inside watching baseball. We started talking about future and stuff and one way or another we got into talking about jobs and stuff. Then my mom was like i just want you to be happy and successful and doing well and have all the nice things i know you like. And she was like i want you and your wife, Or your significant other who ever you fall in love with to be happy and a great life.





and then i felt a relief because that told me that my mom finally came to terms with it and has accepted me i think. I was so proud of her i just wanted to hug her and she is a great mom she really is. It just took her time to get used to it is all.





lol that was long =D but that's my coming out story.
To me coming out of the closet isn't a very accurate statement. It's more of a revolving door than a closet, always new people and new situations to come out to.





Personally, I figured things out as a freshmen in high school..came out to my best friend sophmore year.. and only a few select people for the rest of high school. My school wasn't the best place to be open, so I didn't fully ';come out'; until the summer following graduation. Told my closer friends personally, and everyone else figured it out through facebook and myspace when I changed my orientation.





I'm in college now and have since been open to everyone, if they ask. Came out to my mother over spring break. Extended family are the only ones who don't yet know.





Best of luck for those who have yet to come out, it's a lifelong process but you'll feel better once you take the first steps.
i have yet to haha. my friends know though. i just said it and they were like ';yeah we know'; :P
when school began in fall 2008, i got a new friend in my art class. we magically got placed next to each other, and we hit it off quickly. i told her two months later (in october) that i was bi. at first, she didn't believe me. then, she did... and she understood so well. maybe a little too well. i began to get feelings for her in the next few months. then in january this year, she came out to me and told me straight up that she likes me. she has ever since, and we're just taking it slow now. since that time, i've told my little brother, my dad, and all of my friends that are important to me.


each one understands and accepts completely.


(:
I figured out I was gay in a way most others didn't. I started watching porn at a young age I didn't understand what I was looking at so as years went on I looked at it again come to realize hey that guy is hot I saw a female and thought it was the grosses thing ever so yeah I got older I forced myself to like girl didn't work out so much I was scared and confused about how life worked I came out and wished I didn't come out but I did and faced the bad reactions not a good experince.
I first came out to one of my friends that i had feelings for in the beginning of 2007. I sent her an email, because i was too afraid to tell her face-to-face. She emailed me back saying that she doesn't care if i'm bisexual. She said that she understood my feelings for her, but she doesn't swing that way, but we can still be friends. After i came out to her, it took me two years to tell the rest of my friends. The reason that it took that long is because my friends aren't exactly ';gay friendly.'; So when i told my one friend an IM i was really scared. I sent her an IM purposely when she was offline. She didn't say anything about it for days. Then i brought it up and she admitted that she doesn't feel comfortable around gay people, but it's not that way for her when she's around me because she said that i'm one of her best friends. I didn't really tell my other friend on my own, even though i was planning to. She found out while i was in a conference on IM with her and my other friend who knew that i was bisexual. I had an icon up that said something about being bisexual. She pmed me and asked me about it. Then i told her and she said that she doesn't care, that we're friends and if i'm not straight, it's fine with her. I told my other friend through a note. I gave it to her and she didn't say anything for days. But then she gave me a note. The note said that she doesn't care, and she told me one of her secrets.





When i told my parents (my mom and uncle), it was scarey. I asked if i could talk to them both, so we were in the kitchen. I kept delaying it, but then my uncle said to hurry up and tell them. I took a deep breath and explained to them that i also like girls. My mom started to cry and my uncle just laughed. He said that i was too young to know. My mom stopped her crying and agreed with him. They now think that it's a phase, which it isn't. They both make very homophobic comments around me more than before, which i do not appreciate.








sorry if this is too long lol