For people in the LGBTQ+ community, the ‘coming out’ phase could be incredibly challenging and stressful. Undeniably, telling your friends and family that you are different takes a great deal of courage and self-love.
However, receiving their unconditional support is definitely worth taking the risk.
Reddit user RedditorYT asked: “Gay people of Reddit, what was the best/worst reaction you received to coming out?”
Here are 10 of the most hilarious and heartfelt answers:
1. “You know?”
“I came from a politically conservative, Christian, “religious right” type of household. At 26, I took my mother out to dinner and finally worked up the courage to tell her as she ate her salad.
‘Mom, I’m gay.’
‘I know.’
‘You know?’
‘Look, that’s between you and God, or whatever you believe in. We’re probably going to disagree on some of those things but that’s not my job. My job as your mother is to love you. And that’s that.’
She kept eating her salad. I was blown away. Definitely not the reaction I expected or had steeled myself for.”
2. “My closet door had been wide open all along.”
“I don’t remember a specific coming out moment with my family, but I remember talking to my brother and dad about liking girls when I was a teenager. And my brother asking if I remembered being like 9 years old and telling everyone I wanted to marry my friend Mia. That’s when I realised my closet door had pretty much been wide open all along.”
3. “Gramma: Yeah, I figured.”
“Best story: Me to grandma: gramma, you should probably hear from me first before blabbermouth aunt says it for me… I’m gay. Gramma: Yeah, I figured, but I wanted you to tell me rather than ask… just like that interesting ‘vase’ you keep on your patio which I know obviously isn’t a ‘vase.’ (It was a bong and I lied.) Gramma was the best… I miss you gramma.)”
4. “Phew, you’re just gay. Okay.”
“My friend laughed because he thought I was gonna confess something serious, like I’d murdered somebody, proceeding to essentially say that he doesn’t care/it doesn’t matter if I’m gay lol. This was the reaction of all my friends, basically. I’m lucky to have such good friends
Edit: That’s the magnitude he thought the confession was at. He was like phew, you’re just gay okay lol.”
5. “Oh, me too!”
“Best was when I told a group of friends in school and two others turned around and said “oh me too!” then we went back to planning our weekend outing.”
6. “New year, new me?”
“Not gay, but trans here. Well, gay too, but it was when I was coming out as trans.
I came out to my little bro towards the end of the year. His response was: ‘Are you sure you’re not taking the whole ‘new year, new me’ thing a bit far?'”
7. “I like girls too!”
“Best reaction was seeing my brother the day after I came out on Facebook. I asked him, carefully, if he’d seen the post.
‘I did!’ He said cheerfully. ‘That’s okay, I like girls, too! Especially this one!’ And kissed his wife.”
8. “I always wanted a gay brother!”
“My sister: Yay, I always wanted a gay brother!
Me: You realize that you always had one, right? I’m not suddenly going to change my personality and enjoy shopping with you.
Her: Awww.”
9. “Hi, Gay, I’m dad.”
“Hey, Dad… Umm, I’m Gay.”
“Hi, Gay, I’m Dad, and I Support your choices.”
10. “A round of applause.”
“The best I’ve ever gotten was a round of applause from every single member of my family after 2 years of telling me I’m gay and me denying it.”
Have you gone through the ‘coming out’ phase? How did others take the news? Leave a comment to let us know!
