Coming Out

Coming out can be an incredibly scary and daunting thing to young people. 
Finding out that you're gay is only the first step and I found this very hard just like many other people as you go through many confused emotions that you're too young to understand or just too complicated for you to comprehend. 
Maybe you knew from a very young age that there wasn't something quite right..
Maybe, like me you just found someone that you liked and wasn't sure if it was just a really close friendship, you were just very confused with your emotions or you were actually 'different' from everyone else. 

First things first, You're no different from anyone else! you're still your normal everyday self. Just because heterosexuality is deemed as normal in our society doesn't mean that you're not just because everyone is narrow minded and can't understand why people have different sexualities and can't be bothered to find out to teach themselves to make them accept us. That's their loss not ours!

Dealing with parents tends to be the toughest part of coming out. These two special people are unique in that they created and raised you and are fully invested in your well-being. You are a part of them and a reflection of their values. Your development into a healthy and happy adult is largely down to their parenting skills. If a parent holds negative views on homosexuality they might think that having a gay child is a failing on their part. They might think they did something wrong that made their son or daughter turn out 'wrong'. But being gay has nothing to do with good or bad parenting.

Good parents want their child to be safe and happy. They often have fixed ideas about what form that happiness will take in adult life, typically defined by heterosexual marriage and children. There's nothing wrong with these things of course but the traditional expectations of parents can be a terrible burden for a gay child. Most parents assume their offspring is going to be straight, but rational and open-minded mums and dads understand that romantic love and happiness aren't defined by the gender mix of a couple, nor are those things exclusive to heterosexual people. Some parents take longer to reach this conclusion. You can help your parents to get there by making good and healthy choices in life and in your choice of partner. Be patient and calm when they ask questions or express misconceptions that may be offensive to you. Your parents are being presented with concepts they may never have considered before. It's a lot to take in.

The most important thing; To me the most important thing when thinking about coming out is to make sure you're ready. Your parents and others that you have to come out too may have a lot of questions and you'll have to be able to answer these to help them understand and come to terms with your sexuality. Usually there comes a time where the secrecy of being gay can feel like it's eating you up inside. If this is the case I think it's time! Be brave and make that leap of faith!!