Bryan
Posted by ulla on Friday, February 27, 2009
Under: Gay
Name or Nick Name : Bryan
Country or City you are from: : Little Rock, Arkansas
Your Age : 29 (When did I turn 29!!!)
Your Gender : Male
What did you come out as? : Gay
What other words would you use to describe yourself? : I was once described as one of those rubber balls that bounces in different directions… I took it as a compliment.
How old were you when you first realised your identity? : About 13
How old were you when you first told someone? : 22
Did you plan it? If so, how? : I was 22, and fed up with lying about who I was. I wanted the people close to me to really know me.
What made you choose that person to tell? : She was a good friend.
Can you remember exactly what you said? : “Some people like spaghetti, and some like lasagna. You might expect me to like lasagna, I mean, your lasagna is really good, by lasagna standards, but I really like spaghetti. I always have.” Poor girl. She still didn’t undersand.
How did you feel? : Hungry for Italian food, and like a weight had been lifted from my chest.
What was the person’s reaction? : Confusion at first. She thought I wanted to go to Olive Garden. Then I blurted out, “I’m gay,”
What did they say? : and she said, “um, yeah. We all knew that a long time ago.”
What was your relationship with the person like afterwards? : That year was one of the best of my life… and my friend was a huge part of that. Oh, the clubs we danced at!
What’s it like now? : We’ve drifted apart - years and distance will do that, but we would still call each other “friend.” I’ll see her again for the first time in two years in December.
If you’ve been outed unwillingly, who did it? :
What happened? :
What were peoples’ reactions? :
If you’ve experienced homophobia etc, please give an example. : I’m a lucky one - everyone in my life has been very supportive.
Since coming out how out are you at school? : not_applicable
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? : Living my own personal truth.
What differences, if any, did your cultural background make to your experience of coming out? : Religion made me fear who I was, but spirituality has made me adore who I’ve become.
What does the concept of the closet mean to you? : A cage of self-loathing and self-hatred.
What advice would you give someone wanting to come out? : Make sure you can support yourself or have a backup plan if you face rejection - and then be yourself.
If you could do it all again, would you do it any differently? If so, how? : I would have come out much younger. I missed out on so many years!
Anything you want to add? : You are not damned to hell or loneliness. The world is waiting on you.
Country or City you are from: : Little Rock, Arkansas
Your Age : 29 (When did I turn 29!!!)
Your Gender : Male
What did you come out as? : Gay
What other words would you use to describe yourself? : I was once described as one of those rubber balls that bounces in different directions… I took it as a compliment.
How old were you when you first realised your identity? : About 13
How old were you when you first told someone? : 22
Did you plan it? If so, how? : I was 22, and fed up with lying about who I was. I wanted the people close to me to really know me.
What made you choose that person to tell? : She was a good friend.
Can you remember exactly what you said? : “Some people like spaghetti, and some like lasagna. You might expect me to like lasagna, I mean, your lasagna is really good, by lasagna standards, but I really like spaghetti. I always have.” Poor girl. She still didn’t undersand.
How did you feel? : Hungry for Italian food, and like a weight had been lifted from my chest.
What was the person’s reaction? : Confusion at first. She thought I wanted to go to Olive Garden. Then I blurted out, “I’m gay,”
What did they say? : and she said, “um, yeah. We all knew that a long time ago.”
What was your relationship with the person like afterwards? : That year was one of the best of my life… and my friend was a huge part of that. Oh, the clubs we danced at!
What’s it like now? : We’ve drifted apart - years and distance will do that, but we would still call each other “friend.” I’ll see her again for the first time in two years in December.
If you’ve been outed unwillingly, who did it? :
What happened? :
What were peoples’ reactions? :
If you’ve experienced homophobia etc, please give an example. : I’m a lucky one - everyone in my life has been very supportive.
Since coming out how out are you at school? : not_applicable
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? : Living my own personal truth.
What differences, if any, did your cultural background make to your experience of coming out? : Religion made me fear who I was, but spirituality has made me adore who I’ve become.
What does the concept of the closet mean to you? : A cage of self-loathing and self-hatred.
What advice would you give someone wanting to come out? : Make sure you can support yourself or have a backup plan if you face rejection - and then be yourself.
If you could do it all again, would you do it any differently? If so, how? : I would have come out much younger. I missed out on so many years!
Anything you want to add? : You are not damned to hell or loneliness. The world is waiting on you.
In : Gay
