Hi! I was wondering if anyone could read my coming out letter to my dad and tell me your opinion on it? Anything I should add? or remove? Also, if anyone else came out with a letter, how did you do it? Like, did you leave it on their desk for them to find later? or what Here's my letter (there's more of an intro in the actual letter but I left it out in this because it's more personal): "This is the story of what happened. I had a dream one day that I was kissing a girl that I knew from school. It was as surprising to me as it might have been for you to read this sentence but it felt so right. It was one of those dreams where you wish you could go back to sleep and have that same dream because it felt so comfortable. It was that dream that made me realize that I had a crush on that girl. I didn’t tell anyone. So, there came a time when I accepted that I am gay. I like girls. I’m a lesbian. All of these words fit me but they do not define me entirely. My sexuality is a part of me, just like my other traits, like the kind of music I like, or the color of my hair. At first I thought I was bisexual but I came to realize what I felt around boys was just nerves and a desire that they would like me and provide me with validation rather than genuine attraction. Right now, it feels like a big deal to me because I haven’t been open about it. I’m still working on feeling confident and proud in my identity. My pride is not about feeling superior to others but rather about trying to be proud in a world that has told me I should feel shame for who I am. It’s more of an implicit sense of shame that has been instilled in me, rather than explicit homophobia, due to the fact that gay people are considered outliers to the norm of being heterosexual. While growing up, I barely considered that I might be gay because it didn’t even seem like an option. Now, I want to explain why I am writing this letter. First, I don’t want there to be distance between us. I want to be more open about myself. Second, I feel that I can express myself better through writing. I can compose my thoughts and edit them so that I get across exactly what I want to say. I think there’s also a part of me that’s scared to see your face when you first heard those words. It’s hard to get rid of that deep seated fear. So, in writing this letter, I can still get across what I want to say without having to overcome that fear. This might sound cowardly but if I didn’t do it this way, I don’t know how long it would take me to say it and I really can’t wait any longer. The burden of this secret is too heavy. Why did I keep it a secret for so long? It’s not that I didn’t trust you to be accepting. I know you love me and want the best for me, so I believe and hope this won’t interfere with that. At the same time, I fear that this will disappoint you. I also needed time to reflect on this without outer influences. I wanted to look inwards, to investigate my feelings, and that took time. I read many books, watched tv shows, movies, youtube videos and read forums online. I spent a lot researching things online. I needed to explore and I needed to do it on my own. I have thought long and hard about this and I feel confident in my identity, so please don’t tell me it’s just a phase. Discovering this about myself has opened me up to the possibility that there may be more things that I have yet to discover about myself. That’s exciting to me. I hope this explanation makes sense. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them. Of course, I would be happy to talk. All I ask is that you take some time to reflect before. This took me a while to come to terms with, so you might need some time too. That’s okay. I will be patient. I love you. Thank you for being a great father. <3"
Thank you so much!! That truly means a lot Also, I'm glad I can write something that other people can relate.
