Monday, January 5, 2015

I told the fam damily

No, I did not come out via cake.
If you were to ask me a year ago: "GMS, when do you plan on coming out to your family?" After nervously laughing for a few seconds, I would have given a lame answer like, "never." Then I would change the subject and move on. And then hope you would never ask me that question again.

Which is why I still find it hard to believe what I did during the Christmas holiday. After a series of conversations and emails, I'm officially out of the closet to my immediate family. And it feels 'really' good. Another load taken off my back as I make this crazy journey of being both gay and Mormon.

If I could sum up my family's responses in one word - it would be: perfect. They showed love, support, compassion, acceptance, understanding, etc. And not one person replied with, "I knew it." or "What took you so long?" which makes it even better. I should probably mention the word "love" again, as it was a recurring theme from my family, and to me, the most important action one could show. If I knew it would have been this easy, I would have done it years ago!


As I was thinking and preparing my coming out letter, the Tweet on the left from J.K. Rowling crossed my feed - and I had this calming feeling that everything would be alright. And it was.

For those of you still in the closet, I know how it feels, and encourage you to be open when the time is right. No rush. But it really might be easier than you think!

Moving on.. and if you're still reading this -- I've made it clear that I love data and stats. I'm constantly checking the stats and numbers for this blog and noticed this blog was recently shared on Facebook. I'm happy and excited for the extra publicity, but have no clue as to what FB page it was shared on, nor can I read and respond to the comments (if there were any.) If you got here from a FB page, could you let me know which one brought you here? Since I'm anonymous, it's totally cool if you're anonymous in using the contact form on the right.

Tell your family you love them.


7 comments:

  1. I'm so happy for you :) Exciting times ahead GMS!

    p.s. the pics made me chuckle!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad it went well! My immediate family found out about me a couple of years ago while my brother was on a mission. Their response was tepid at best. I have been avoiding the topic with my brother even though he returned home a long time ago. I found out this weekend that he found out shortly after he got home but has never known how to bring it up since I have always avoided the topic. He is the only one in my family who has boldly said he will love and support me no matter what. I wish I had spoken to him a long time ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like you have a great brother! (and sounds like we're both really good at procrastinating!)

      I hope your brother's example rubs off to the rest of your family!

      I see you too have a blog - I look forward to reading it.

      Delete
  3. My best to you for your coming out to the family. I came out to mine when I was sixteen, and then came out to my buddies at school. That was in 1980. Funny after I came out the harassment stopped dead and I became accepted for what I was, in 1980 in a southern town. Coming out is a good thing. I got here from a mention of your blog over on NicetoseeSteveieB.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment! That's awesome the acceptance and love you received after coming out.

      (And thanks for mentioning what led you to the site!)

      Delete