“I’m a child of an Officer in the Indian Navy. I assumed only white men were gay. I pretended to have a crush with a female celebrity, lining my bedroom with her posters, while hiding a collection of pictures of men in their underwear under my mattress.”
‘I was caught kissing a boy. ‘Come to the station. We’ll have fun with you. Clearly that’s what you like.’: Man shares coming out story, ‘I cared too much about fitting in’
‘I was told, ‘You are NOT same-sex attracted. You just need to make healthier male connections.’ I embarked on a 20-year conversation therapy journey.’: Man ‘breaks free’ at 38 and comes out as gay
“I grew up in the thick of the southern Baptist church. Being gay was ‘sinful, sick, and a ticket straight to hell.’ I was determined to turn myself straight through prayer and punishment.”
‘A friend broke up with him after he was outed to her as trans.’: Mom of 11-year-old trans son shares ‘frightening’ story
“The child’s parent who dropped her off chastised me (out of earshot of the kids) for having a pride flag outside my house and asked me to ‘not talk about inappropriate matters with his daughter.’ My heart literally couldn’t handle it.”
‘Recently, I walked into a room full of young men. I didn’t find any of them attractive. It hit me: I like girls.’: Teen comes out as lesbian to her family, ‘They love me no matter who or what I am’
“I totally cried. As my mom told them, I hid behind my tea mug (it was a pretty big mug) because I didn’t want them to see me crying. I thought I was strong enough to not. Of course, my dad then joined as well and stated, ‘Yeah, I’m straight, I like women.’ We all laughed as he looked at my mom.”
‘We don’t want to hear you’re ‘sorry’ for us. We don’t want to ‘fix’ her. We thought being gay was sinful. Let us be clear: WE WERE WRONG.’: Family ‘honored’ gay daughter came out of the closet
“Our 15-year-old daughter Helena came out to us as gay. It wasn’t a surprise to us. Long ago we thought being gay was sinful and wrong. Let us be clear: WE WERE WRONG. Jeremy and I love who our daughter is and someday, when she is ready, we will love who she loves because she loves them.”
‘Dad can I have 3 dollars?’ My friend needs a chest binder and his parents aren’t supportive.’ My son came out as Trans at 11.’: Father embraces transgender son’s new boyfriend, lifestyle, ‘our job is to love the kids we are given’
“There are days I’m so tired and weak I can’t help but cry. I carry a lot of weight for my kid, in support of who he is now. ‘We have something super awkward to talk about.’ ‘Okay, what is it?’ ‘I know you’re in middle school now. Sometimes sex is a thing with kids that age. But I’m worried about it, and want you to wait. I don’t want you to experience sex for the first time as the wrong gender and have it hurt you.’ He’s dealing with a lot. Much more than I ever did as a 12-year-old.”
‘Are you gay?’ ‘No,’ he said immediately. I looked at his wounded face. It turns out, I was right.’: Husband comes out as gay, couple divorces but continues to live together happily co-parenting, ‘I have chosen to continue to love Josh as my family’
“We decided we loved each other enough to let our marriage go. We’d no longer be spouses, but we’d always be a family. We ended our marriage with a divorce ceremony sharing vows to our 4 daughters, promising to always be a family, even if Mommy and Daddy aren’t married. Josh has found the love of his life, Carlos, who has become a cherished member of our family. Talk about miracles…my family is a fan of my gay ex-husband’s boyfriend!”
‘Will is gay! Mom, I’m the first person to know!’ I immediately got nervous for him.’: 12-year-old gay son comes out, celebrated with epic outpouring of support from ‘Pride Tribe’
“My 12-year-old daughter appeared in the kitchen after school. She started a conversation the same way she always does – ‘MOM! Guess what?!,’ except this time it wasn’t followed with, ‘Kate likes so-and-so’ or ‘Mrs. O gave us so much homework!’ This time, her face lit up. ‘He told me first!’ I was happy her friend had confided in her, but I was scared for Will. I asked if he’d told his parents yet. The answer was ‘No.’”
‘The kid never leaves home without his purse. He spends his money on makeup, and loves all things pink and sparkly.’: Mom supports her 10-year-old non-binary son and ‘all his fabulousness’
“By the time my son reached Pre-K, there was no denying he was truly one fabulous little guy. People have asked me for years if Sam is gay or transgender. My response? ‘Sam is a child, and if I have anything to do with it, he’ll be a happy one.’”
‘Are you a boy or a girl?’ My daughter responded with the craziest look on her face. ‘I’m a girl!’ I knew she was gay. I always knew she was ‘different.’
“By the time she was 4, her tomboy phase became something different. I remember getting her ready for school. ‘Mom, I want to dress like a girl today!,’ she said. I went out to the living room and told my husband to ‘not make a big deal about what she was wearing.’ He was her protector.”
