As part of the LGBTQ2+ community, there isn’t a story that isn’t worth sharing when it comes to helping others with the process. Although I don’t have much of an “exciting” coming out story, I learned a lot about what it meant to accept who I am and who I love, and everything else that was meant to happen in my life would follow. I came out to my parents on New Year’s Eve in 2011 because I didn’t want to start off another year trying to hide the fact that I had been dating someone for almost 7 months. But of course, it wasn’t “news” to my parents as they already guessed, and that was that. No drama, there were more tears on my end than my parents had, and more importantly, I felt a big weight off my shoulders and could finally live without hiding who I am.
I’ll never forget the words my mom told me after a brief but awkward silence: “As long as you have a good head on your shoulders and you aren’t hurting anyone along the way, then I don’t care who you love.”
Although, I know my journey wasn’t over right there. I knew that the conversation started with myself but it could spread much farther than that. I know that not everyone has a pleasant story like I do, and that if I could be of help to just one person who was going through it a little harder than I was, then I knew that I could live up to what my mom said that night.
Even after all this time, I’m still discovering who I am and I’m enjoying every second of it. I’ve been pretty fortunate to have such supportive family and friends who teach me invaluable lessons every single day. My partner and I do everything we can to support and fight for the LGBTQ2+ community in any way we can, and I’ll continue to be that point of contact for someone at any age who isn’t quite sure if it does get better. I think it’s our responsibility to make sure that we stand supportive, side by side, and show everyone what a true community is about.