Why is ‘coming out’ always made a huge deal of?
Someone i know recently came out to everyone they knew, and whilst most of his friends were cool with it, his family are strongly against it and think he’s bought shame on their family. Theyre not even religious or anything! Theyre just against it for no reason at all, other than they think its ‘dirty’. This poor guy has finally got the courage to come out to everyone [he didn’t even tell his best friend before!] and his family are treating him like he’s no longer their son because of it. And although he’s trying not to show it, its upset him a hell of a lot.

I just find it completely ridiculous. I can sort of understand if the family are really religious and thats why they’d be against it, but theyre not at all. They just think its wrong. It upsets me that he’s having to put up with this just to be who he wants to be. And hes come out to everyone at the same time, he’s so brave.

When i first properly admitted to myself I was bisexual, I was 15. Then at 16 I told my two best friends Tegan and Ryan. I was absolutely petrified of telling them but they were completely fine with it, saying that it made no difference at all to our friendship. They were so supportive and without them I dont think I would be as open about it as I am now. At 17 I told brother witout even planning it, I just came out to him on a Saturday afternoon. He was shocked and it took him a while but now he’s cool with it. Then I had to tell my dad, this i was dreading the most and I burst into tears as I said it. I dont know why i cried. I was scared he was going to be ashamed of me and I remember saying ‘Im Sorry’, but he just hugged me and said ‘Skai you could be the biggest lesbian going , but you’ll never stop being my daughter and I'll love you till my dying day’.

All the people that matter to me most were fine with it, but i did lose about 3 friends who didn’t agree with it. One friend was religious and I knew she was against it, but I just thought, I either lose a friend and be open about who i really am, or i keep her but stay unhappy. Another friend just called it disgusting and I haven’t spoken to her since the day I told her. It upset me at the time to lose these people but I now realise my life is better without homophobic people like them in.

Coming out is unfair. Straight people don't have to do it, so why should we? Its just assumed everyone is straight and thats accepted. But for those of us who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, we have to go through the very inconvenient step of dealing with other people's preconceptions. And its not fair at all. We dont wake up and think ‘I’ll be gay from now on’. Its not just for attention. Its not because we fancy being different. Its who we are, and we shouldn’t have to hide it from society no matter how much it can get looked down on.

Being straight isn’t ‘normal’, its just more common. Being gay or lesbian or bisexual isn't good or bad, right or wrong. It just is. And the sooner people realise that the better

RANT OVER.