Took me seven years to come in to terms with my sexuality.

[Dick.J]

Coming out of the closet isn't easy for many. I remeber that I found it really tough. I mean to start with, I was confused about myself more than anyone. I had these feelings that I didn't know how to treat. I think was under a lot of stress at the time. I just didn't want to accept that I was gay. I remember there were times that I made gay jokes as well although I knew that there was a good possibility or as a fact that I was gay. I think many people go through things like this. It took me seven years to finally accept that I was homosexual. From that point on, I learned to embrace the way I was. I did come out six months later. My father didn't take it well, but everyone else accepted me for the person I am. I still see my family, but I still see some disappointment from my father although he tries to hide it. Other than that, I'm really happy with the fact that I discovered myself and came out. That was the right thing to do. If you're struggling to face that your homosexual or if you're confused, you need to talk to someone who knows about these things. Ideally someone professional. I wish I had done that back then.

[PeterDavidson]

@Dick.J you're so right about talking to someone professional. There are so many people that you can talk to these days. Even in high schools, so I don't think people should stay in hiding. I had no problem with the fact that I was gay. I knew about it from early teens and I decided to live with that. When I came out, I think my parents knew that it was coming, so it all went fine. When I told my friends, they laughed because they already knew

[Matt1996]

@PeterDavidson some people go through hardships at first and make everythng a whole lot easier on themselves. I think that's what you've done. I mean it must have been quite hard facing the fact that you were different from everyone initially and deciding to be open about that. It takes a lot of guts to do that. But you've made your life so much easier because of that. When you look at what some people go through when they come out, I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about.

[Dick.J]

Matt1996 if a person can be open about their sexuality at a young age, that's a huge favor that person is doing himself. I wish I had done that long time back, but it wasn't to be

[David_H]

i'm also one of those people who was confused for a very long time. it's never an easy thing to do, accepting that you're gay. growing up, there's a norm and people grow up having a set of dreams irrespective of their sexuality. like getting married and having kids. so for me, it was a struggle drifting from that path although i was certain that i was different. i wish i had spoken to someone back then, but the thing is, there was no one to talk to. i had to deal with these things by myself. i though that i could fix that problem by hanging out with girls. i even had a girl friend once. however, as i grew up, i realized that there was no point going against the way that i was. if there are people who are confused about their orientation, it's a great idea to talk to someone about it and find out. that's going to save you a lot of trouble.

[Dick.J]

@David_H I think things must have been a lot harder for your generation. Things weren't so settled when it comes to gay rights back then. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you. The people that you'd have been able to talk about something like that would have been rare too. Luckily, the world has changed a lot for the better

[vincent_holmes]

Things are so easy for the younger generations. There are so many friends of mine who were openly gay from around 16 or so. There are people that you can talk to and they guide you through things. Parents are disappointed naturally when you come out, but they too are more understanding I guess as the world is more aware about homosexuality.

[RayGraham]

vincent_holmes you're so right. Ten, fifteen years ago, things were a lot difficult. I'm 31 and it was such a hard time growing up as a gay kid. I didn't know any kid or teenager who was openly gay at the time. I mean I don't know, things might be different elsewhere, but that's how things were around where I grew up. I think kids these days are very lucky that they can come out earlier and live their lives rather than having to suffer...