YESTERDAY, the world celebrated National Coming Out Day. Coming out is an experience unique to every member of the LGBTQ+ community, one that is absolutely nerve-wracking.

When coming out to someone, there is no telling how they make react. They may thank you for telling them, reassuring you that they still love you the same, for example.

Or they may try to invalidate your sexuality as, unfortunately, is the case for many queer people.

Speaking from personal experience

I realized I was bisexual as early as the sixth grade, and over time I started being more and more comfortable with telling my friends about my sexuality, because I knew they weren’t the type to care.

All the friends I told accepted me with open arms. Nothing changed about how they treated me afterward.

However, when I came out to a family member I was extremely close with, I was immediately asked: “How do you know that you’re gay if you haven’t even had sex with a girl?”

As if that was all it took to fall in love with someone — as if I had to somehow prove to her something I already knew deep down was true. 

She would come to accept this fact about me in time, but that didn’t make her initial reaction sting any less.

Later on, I would try to tell another family member I’d spent almost my entire life with. I asked her what she would do if I was gay.

All she told me was that she would pray for me.

This is the reality for many queer people, and many people go through so much worse just for being themselves.

What other people think doesn’t matter!

Remember: you don’t owe anyone your sexuality. There is no other reason to come out to someone other than you wanting to. 

And no matter how other people react — whether it be positively or negatively — it shouldn’t change who you are, nor should it affect how you see yourself.

Regardless of what others may think, know that your sexuality is something that is meant to be celebrated, not hidden away. Being queer will never make you “less than.” 

It is a beautiful thing to love. Why take that away to please people who don’t even deserve you?