MY COMING OUT STORY: MY SISTER

            Coming out is the culmination to your self-acceptance of your sexuality.  I guess I have been waiting so long to tell you my own story because I wanted the words to be perfect.  However, coming out is never perfect, you will have ups and downs, but it is important to remember that it feels better to live a life of honesty.  My theme for this week will be my own coming out story, but instead of writing it down all at once, it will be written in sections.  Coming out is not an event that you do once, but a process that will occur over time throughout your life.  Each day I will give you my coming out story for some of the most important people in my life.

            The first story is about my first coming out experience to one of the most important role models in my life.  My sister has always paved the way for me by setting her own personal goals high so I will set mine higher.  We have always had a competitive nature since we were young and it still remains strong in our academic and extracurricular activities.  However, we are not just constant competitors, but also best friends.  In fact the lunch ladies at our former high school once took bets that we were twins, however it was a bad day for Dolly because we’re not.  We go to each other for help on anything and everything and I knew that she would support me no matter what my sexuality is.

            It was my strong intention to tell her for a very long time that I was gay, but I could never muster the strength.  It is such a simple phrase, “I’m gay,” but it is the hardest to actually say to someone and mean it.  It wasn’t until both my sister and I stayed up late on Thanksgiving night until almost 3am playing cards, that I finally revealed my sexuality to her.  Like I said, saying that you are gay is so difficult and I never actually said those words to her initially.  Instead I told her that I had a secret and we more or less played a guessing game until she figured it out.  She asked if I drank alcohol, smoked weed, got a speeding ticket, robbed a bank, etc. However, with each question, I said no.  She was confused and finally she asked the dreaded question… “Are you gay?”  Immediately I felt my heart beating out of my chest and I broke eye contact with her.  Inside my head, I kept telling myself, “just say it… just say it!”  All I could do was nod my head yes which stands as the bravest moment in my life.  After I nodded my head I felt an strong sense of euphoria.  This was a surprise to my sister, but the first thing we did was hug it out as always.  We talked for hours more.  I knew from this point on that it does get better, life gets better.  I had finally been accepted by someone.  My sister’s reaction is the sole reason why I can be so honest with myself today.  She still accepts me and defends me for who I am and I will always do the same for her.