“There is something I need to tell you…I’m gay.”
I have a problem with the above sentence.
For one thing, no one should believe they need to tell anyone anything and you should not have to tell someone of your sexual orientation. We should not assume everyone is straight unless told otherwise.
We should able to talk about our “crushes” with each other regardless of the gender, whether or not someone has “come out of the closet.”
Telling someone you’re homosexual shouldn’t have to be a thing.
I cannot speak from experience of “coming out,” however, I have had the experience of someone telling me.
On one hand, I was so proud of them that they had the courage to do so. On the other, I was disappointed that, because of society’s hangups, they had to work up the courage to tell me; and that because of society’s hangups there was the possibility that I could have rejected them as a friend.
If someone is informing you of their sexual orientation they should not have to feel like they may be disgusted by you or that you were going to stop loving them. It shouldn’t even have to be a confession at all, let alone one that may have a distasteful reaction.
For some, “coming out” is just a breath of relief; but for others telling someone, such as a friend or a family member, will be the most worrisome thing they will ever do. After talking to someone whose name will remain anonymous, I got a better idea of how it would feel to have to tell someone that your sexual orientation is different than theirs, that it’s different from what society believes to be “normal.”
From what my friend told me, the lead up to the confession, as well as waiting for the reply, is truly terrifying – unknowing of what the reaction will be and not knowing if they’ll still accept and love you. Once the reply has been received and you are still loved, accepted and praised for your bravery of telling them, it’s a huge relief.
The long and short of it is that “coming out” should not be a problem, nor a thing. It should not have to be a big announcement you have to build yourself up to. It should be able to be brought up in casual conversation.
No one should have to feel like they may become rejected, or treated different. They’re the same person they always were, even before they felt to uncover their sexual orientation, therefore they should be just as loved, and just as accepted.
Maddie Caldwell is a writing student at Belmont secondary.