Ok, so imagine this… Christmas Dinner aged 21.
The table is all set, the aromas of a loving prepared Xmas dinner waft all through the house. Gifts lying around. Family is all assembled.
My mum had invited her long-time friends round to celebrate with us. I hadn’t seen them in some time and I remember being sat on the sofa with them when talk turned to relationships.
They asked me whether I had a boyfriend.
My mum very simply replied with: “No, she has a girlfriend. She will be here in half an hour.”
Talk about a cringe-worthy moment followed by me making my excuses and running off in complete embarrassment. I hadn’t even had ‘the conversation’ with my mum but it turns out, I didn’t even need to.
Why do I share this with you?
For two reasons.
1. You may be on the cusp of coming out and feeling scared about how it will go down….. you may be looking for positive coming out stories – and reassurance…
2. I learnt a very important lesson that day. Don’t presume you know how people will react. Your preconceptions and judgements about them may be wrong. Everything I had built it up in my head to be – it wasn’t like that at all in reality.
What questions do you have about coming out? I am here to share my experience and knowledge.
If you have already come out, what advice would you give someone who is on the cusp of coming out?