Why I Don't Have To Come Out To You | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Why I Don't Have To Come Out To You

If it's because you feel insecure, that sounds like more of a you problem.

27
Why I Don't Have To Come Out To You
FreeImages.com/quil

Coming out can be such an experience for any young person these days. It is truly one of those moments where a person can bare all that is on the inside for those on the outside to see and even possibly judge, although that's one of the more extreme cases. Even I recently did it myself last week, and as plainly as I thought the experience would go, it has left me with mixed feelings.

See, as anyone who gets to know me for even 20 minutes can possibly start to guess that having a romantic relationship with a girl is not my cup of tea, it's not unusual for people to not ask what my sexual orientation is. They figure it out and our lives go on, because while being gay is a crucial part of who I am, it is at the same time not very crucial at all.

It means that as a guy I happen to like guys. You think as simple a phrase that is, even in 2016 people would go nuts over that fact. (If you haven't already forgotten, I probably wouldn't even get served pizza in some places just because I like men.)

Because of all this, you think my issues would typically be concerned with people who would prefer I shut up about my sexuality. Instead, my issue is with people who think it's in my best interest to be able to admit that I'm gay. Ha.

In what was a much tamer version of the rude outing some athletes experienced at the Olympics, I came out not because I was ready to let people into more of my life, but because I felt I had to for the sake of my own peace and for another person to feel triumphant. Instead of feeling relieved and closer to the person I came out to, I felt manipulated. I found out the other person did not just already know that I was gay, but wanted to hear me admit it with my own mouth because knowing it was not enough. That person thought that for some reason admitting my gayness myself would release some tension in the relationship we had, but instead it just made me upset and a bit angry.

My coming out is not supposed to be for other people. It is supposed to be a moment where I choose to bring a relationship to a new level, where I feel I am ready to admit it to a person I trust wholeheartedly, or would at least like to start trusting wholeheartedly. Instead, my moment was torn away from its original purpose. Where I was supposed to strengthen a relationship, it was only kept in a hostile state. While I should feel "at peace" right now as I mentioned earlier, I only continue to feel distant. I feel like I gathered the courage to jump over a canyon, but after jumping I realized I haven't even jumped off the cliff - a classic "wtf" moment, if you will.

I don't come out to make other people comfortable. I come out to show that I am comfortable with others as needed. If you need me to come out to you, you better give me a formal reason for my statement. Because if you just want it to put your mind at ease from being able to say "he admitted it to me personally", then you have another thing coming.

And it's not me coming out of the closet for you, I can tell you that.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

300342
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments