(hell, yeah) Scarleteen

Have you just come out of the closet, or are you peeking through the keyhole thinking about it? Is life on the outside starting to look inviting, shiny and new?

(Yes, even you back there, hiding behind that box of moth balls and Aunt Ethel’s spectator pumps.)

I confess, I lucked out. I never really had to “come out” because I grew into my sexuality very clearly being attracted to and involved with both men and women, and my father acknowledging that basically went like this:

Dad: “So, was that your girlfriend that just slept over?”
Me: “No, that was just a friend.”
Dad: “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to assume that—”
Me: “Don’t be. My girlfriend was the girl from the night before.”
Dad: “Oh. Gotcha.”

That was pretty much that.

No fuss, no fanfare, no drama, and at the time, I went to an urban arts school where just as many of us were gay and bisexual as those who were straight, so it was no big deal on that account either. Different time, different place, and I was indeed one of the lucky ones when it came to coming out. It may well be the most boring coming out story in history, but it’s mine, and I’ll take it.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t have my own mistakes to make, or that I didn’t watch friends of mine make a million when coming out themselves. So, I offer you a few tips to help make the transition a little bit easier, a little less rocky, and to hopefully give you a few less things to have to look back on and laugh at later.

Read the rest of Don’t Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out here.  Happy national Coming Out Day, everyone!