Coming Out
When there is a rainstorm, water falls from the sky, and the clouds hide the sun. But when the sun comes out, it lights up the world. The sun and the rain create a beautiful sight of color. You see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. A rainbow.
What I love most about rainbows is they have a way to affect people. Sometimes people don’t really care. I mean, they’re just a creation from particles of ultraviolet atoms. It’s science. But other people take it as a sign of beauty. When I see a rainbow, I get all happy inside. My heart pumps with joy and I feel warm.
As the years have gone by, more and more people have taken notice of the rainbow. They’ve used it as a symbol, but not everyone agrees. When we started to use the rainbow to represent who we were, people began to rebel against it. They started to use slang and bring those people down. A lot of people who use the rainbow have felt upset, depressed, and hatred. And it still continues today.
The rainbow is a symbol for equality. Everyone is equal, everyone. In the past, equality was an issue for those of color. And now, it’s an issue for those who are attracted to the same sex.
Being gay is okay. Being lesbian is okay. Even being transgender is okay. That’s why we have the rainbow. The reason why we are represented by a rainbow is because of the colors. Imagine each color is an individual. When we are connected, we create a wonderful thing that everyone enjoys. We create something beautiful after a terrible storm. When there’s a rainstorm or a thunderstorm, it can be scary, but after it’s over, the sun shines and a rainbow appears.
That’s why being gay is okay. But not everyone thinks so. People have a hard time coming out to their family and friends. There have been incidents where the reaction isn’t what you hoped it would be. Sometimes it gets so bad that people will get kicked out just because of their sexuality.
The first time I came out to my family, I had just graduated middle school and was about to enter high school. I had developed feelings for two of my best friends, both female. That was when I discovered I was bisexual. I told my dad and he took it very well. I was surprised. He told me that it was okay to like whoever I liked and that I was still his daughter. That made me feel really happy and very comfortable.
When sophomore year came, my feelings began to change. I was more attracted to females than males. It was hard to date the opposite sex because they didn’t really understand the problems us females had to go through. I do like men and they’re easy to talk to, but not easy to date. I find them as friends, really good friends. So, that was when I came out to my family that I was lesbian.
Now, this was a bit harder because they thought I was bisexual. I told them that I was but my feelings had changed. It was hard and annoying to explain the same thing over and over again to my friends whom I had told I was bisexual and then lesbian. However, the good news is they were very understanding.
To those people who are afraid of coming out to their family and friends, it’s okay. It’s okay to be nervous because you don’t know how they’re going to take it. You don’t. What I can tell you though, is no matter what happens, they will love you. If they react in a terrible way, it’s because they don’t understand. They might be scared or they might just not like it. But they still love you.
Coming out is okay. Being gay is okay. It’s what makes you you! You might like men or you might like women, or you might not have a preference. What matters is how you make of it. You can be sad that your family doesn’t appreciate your sexuality, or you can smile and find that special someone. I’m single and still looking for the right woman, but in the mean time, I’m going to live my life because I’m happy.
The rainbow is a symbol of each individual. Together we are one and we can create something so beautiful that everyone will have to look. And when they hate and bring us down, we will stand up proud and tell them, it’s okay to be gay.
