Name or Nick Name : Brett Abrams
Country or City you are from: : Washington, DC
Your Age : 47
Your Gender : Male
What did you come out as? : Gay
What other words would you use to describe yourself? : Bohemian, adventurous,
How old were you when you first realised your identity? : 24
How old were you when you first told someone? : 24
Did you plan it? If so, how? : no
What made you choose that person to tell? : they were someone I was in love with.
Can you remember exactly what you said? : I said that I was bisexual and they said that they could not return my feelings.
How did you feel? : hurt but I thought they handled it in a mature way.
What was the person’s reaction? : described earlier
What was your relationship with the person like afterwards? : the relationship became stilted
What’s it like now? : I have not seen them in years.
If you’ve experienced homophobia etc, please give an example. : from people yelling faggot from cars to throwing stones at me as I walked.
Since coming out how out are you at school? : all_out
Since coming out, how “out” are you at work? : all_out
Since coming out, how “out” are you with family? : all_out
Since coming out, how “out” are you with your friends? : all_out
What does being out mean to you? : Being expressive about all aspects of my life.
What differences, if any, did your cultural background make to your experience of coming out? : Being working class made the acceptance of being gay difficult because of the perception that you are not being masculine.
What does the concept of the closet mean to you? : means that one suppresses information about one’s life.
What advice would you give someone wanting to come out? : find the appropriate time and place for yourself to accept your sexual orientation