It’s been 6 years since I came out to my parents – something I would have never dreamt of at that time. Like most things in life, it wasn’t planned, and it just happened in the spur of the moment. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but looking back all these years, I don’t regret it for one bit. I’m incredibly proud as the experience has shaped me into who I am.
I struggled to come out because of y race and ethnicity.
Some of you are familiar with my coming out story but for those that aren’t. For a long time, I struggled to come out to my parents because of my race and ethnicity. Growing up, I evaded questions about relationships, whether I had wanted children, anything that would have hinted to my sexuality. I started to accept that I would never come out to my parents – I even believed I was doing the right thing because I felt it would have been too much of a burden for them to bear.
The complexities of coming out.
I hope that by sharing my story, it may help others and shed light on the complexities of coming out. Everyone’s journey and experience is different, but it’s not only just centered around sexuality. For many, it intertwined with race, religion, ethnicity, etc.
One day we won’t need to come out.
Even though we’ve made tremendous progress to make it safe to come out, we still live in a world where coming out can be criminalized or result in the death sentence. I look forward to the day where we (the LGBTQ+ people) don’t have to come out. Our sexuality and preferences are apart of life and accepted as the norm. We shouldn’t have to feel any different for being who we are.
To read my coming out story, check out my blog post ‘My Coming Out Story’.
Thank you for reading my ‘National Coming Out Day’ post. Follow my Instagram account to get updates daily. If you’re interested, you can also check out my other post on ‘Being Gay and Dealing with Asian Shame’ Learn More.
