Just joined and am excited to hear about everyone’s story and hopefully get some good advice as I only came out a few days ago so kinda new to all this but hey you gotta start somewhere right?
Welcome to EC. I just recently came out myself and joining EC has helped me in a lot. If you ever want to talk I would be happy to talk.
Jake.....Hello and a great big LGBTQIA+ welcome to Empty Closets! There are a number of sub-forums here on EC...why don't you check them out and then feel free to join in the conversations! This is a community of loving, caring and very supportive people and we will do our best to help you blend into the community. You can ask questions in any of the Sub-forums by creating a new thread or by joining in a conversation-thread that is already going. You can also post a message on anyone's Profile Page after you have made at least ten posts yourself. If you have a question that is somewhat private you can always send a Private Message to any Staff Member. Normally Private Messages can only be exchanged between two Full Members, but a PM to a Staff Member is an exception. We are so glad that you have found us here on Empty Closets! .....David
Hi everyone thank you for the welcoming messages. It’s so nice to hear from you all. well I live in the UK so apologies for delayed responses if your in a different time zone what else would you like to know??
I in what way? I’m gay if that’s what your asking. Very new to everything so not clued up on all the terminology just yet hbu??
Hey not trying to hijack this thread but wanted to say that I often hear homophobes talking about how young kids can't possibly know their sexual orientation. I was 7-8 years old too when I knew I was gay too. I didn't even know what gay was until a couple years later but I knew I wanted to be around certain other boys all the time; that I felt a pull towards them. AvatarRoku, welcome to EC. Congratulationsbon coming out! It might feel "new" or "different" at first but in my experience most people either accept you or come around to it after a time. Even when it comes to the few people who did not react the way I had hoped, I never regretted being open and honest about myself.
hi Tidapool, definitely not hijacking at all. I never understood how people say that either. Admittedly I’ve only just started telling people but I’ve known for years too. Similar to yourself years before you even understand what attraction meant. It feels very different but despite it being difficult it feels so much better. The few friends I’ve told have been nothing shy of brilliant! Family not so much. They make out there ok with it but I don’t think they are. How long ago was it you came out?
Hi AvatarRoku, I'm in my mid-30s. I told my first person 13 years ago, but it took another 3 years until I was out to the world. When I told my family, I thought my mother would never love me again with the way she reacted and the things she said to me. If I'm being completely honest, I can still hear her in my head sometimes when I am down on myself. That being said, time does heal all wounds. I am now married to a wonderful man who literally saved my life back when I could only see darkness around me. My family attended our wedding. My mother proudly calls my husband "son". She told me years after I came out that she knew how unhappy I was as a teenager and could never figure out why. She was glad I was happy now. So, give your family some time. Parents build dreams about us in their heads and sometimes those dreams conflict with the reality of who their children actually are. They sometimes need time to process this shift. I cannot see the future, but going off my personal experience I think that if your family sees how happy you are being your true self they will come on board.