“We thought you were going to be a nun.” This was part of the conversation I had with my parents after coming out to them. My coming out came as a huge surprise to my parents as they thought I might enter religious life. When I asked myself how I wanted to live my life, I saw clearly that I had dreams of falling in love (with a woman). I knew I needed to love myself before I could fall in love with someone else. And knew I needed to proclaim who I am so I didn’t have to live in the shadows or live with shame. It wasn’t easy. It was very difficult for me to share and for my family to hear.
I am one of the lucky ones because I have a happy ending. My family loves me and my partner and vice-a-versa. For many gay people this isn’t true. There are still far too many people who can’t come out because it isn’t safe. There are far too many LGBT people who are beaten or suicidal. And so I encourage all of us to stand up and speak out on behalf of LGBT folks, especially young people.
Stand up. There are far too many messages of hate. We can send a message of love. We can be a message of love. I invite you to tell your LGBT friends you love them. You may think they know it, but trust me when I say they need to hear your support.
I love you.