Country & city: u.s.a./minneapolis
Name/nickname: amy powers
Age: 43
Gender: female
What did you come out as (gay, bi, transgendered)? gay
What other words would you use to describe yourself? engaged, active, responsible, silly, independent, strong, good listener, friendly, outgoing, neurotic, passionate, big hearted, queer
How old were you when you first realized your identity? my queer identity - i was 17
How old were you when you first told someone? 17
Did you plan it? If so, how? no
What made you choose that person to tell? she was coming out too
Can you remember exactly what you said? i like nancy.  i like shauna.


How did you feel? we were young and best friends who realized we both liked girls, it made us closer.
What was the person’s reaction?
What did they say?
What was your relationship with the person like afterwards?
What’s it like now?
If you’ve been outed unwillingly, who did it? my mom. i told her i was queer and she told everybody else in the family.
What happened? nothing happened. i was mortified for a while and then as i became more and more ok w/me i was actually really glad she had done it and saved me all the work. it was now just ‘known’.
What were peoples’ reactions?
If you’ve experienced homophobia etc, please give an example. i never witnessed any negative reactions although i have some conservative relatives. i am lucky enough to come from a family that loves me and makes it clear that that is unconditional.
Since coming out, how “out” are you in the following areas of your life:
Educational institution: i was out to friends
Job: out to everyone
Family: out to everyone
Friends: out to everyone
What does being out mean to you? being out means being who i am to whoever you are and not pretending
What differences, if any, did your cultural background make to your experience of coming out? no cultural difference i can think of w/o knowing a bit more of how you are defining ‘culture’.
What does the concept of the closet mean to you? shame
What advice would you give someone wanting to come out? start with someone safe.
If you could do it all again, would you do it any differently? If so, how? i wouldn’t change a thing.