My Coming Out Story

Here are three different coming out experiences from young people in North Lanarkshire:

I was 16 when I came out as gay, I was nervous to tell anyone but when I started to tell people it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Most people already knew that I was gay because they could tell when they first saw me or when I was little. I came out just when the film Love, Simon came out in cinema. There was a scene where Simon got outed in front of his school and he got bullied for it and I was thinking what if that happens to me? But luckily it didn’t. My brother also found out that I was gay, but later he died and a while after he passed my aunt told me that he accepted me as being gay and this made me happy.

But over all my family and friends all accepted me for who I was. I was supported loads by my youth workers and my LGBTQI+ youth group where I have made a lot of new friends.

My coming out experience wasn’t exactly the greatest, it wasn’t all supportive and loving like some or instantly disowned like others, but it certainly didn’t grant my family the family of the year award! I came out around 3 years ago when I was 13 or 14. I was scared on how to tell them I was Trans, so I left a note on my door before leaving for school. I came home and the note was crumpled on the floor and I heard no word for a few days until my parents decided to tell me I was too young to be making this decision and we would revisit it when I was 16. As of this date, I am 16 and still not completely accepted by my family. I’ve had so many homophobic comments from people at school and my family who try and pin it on me.

I still have a small group of friends and family who are supportive of me and keep me going. If I were to continue my coming out story it would become a five part novel, so here we are.

I came out when I was 12 to my mum as bisexual as she found a note I had written. She found out I had a girlfriend; my brothers also knew and they thought it was kind of funny in a way. All of my family accepted me apart from my gran, she still doesn’t accept me to this day and that hurts because I used to be so close to her and now when I see her, she gives me dirty looks.