In honor of National Coming Out Day on October 11, I thought that I would share why it was important for me to come out.

Most people in my life have been very positive about me coming out, but unfortunately people can't always be positive. Sadly, there have been some people in my life that just don't understand the importance of coming out. They think that by coming out, I was trying to gain attention and that everything would be fine if I would not have acted on my gay "desires." Overall, they wished I would have continued to hide myself, so that their life could go on as it once was. With that being said, I want to tell you why it was important for me to come out for both myself and others.

First, I came out because I had to. And I say I had to because I felt that I was carrying a huge weight on my shoulders. I was overwhelmed and felt like I couldn't even breathe. I had to come out for my mental health. I was suffering on so many levels and I generally felt that I was either going to have to start living my life as me or not have a life. By hiding who I was, I was not fulfilling my purpose in life. By hiding who I was, I wasn't able to show the world how much love I had to give. By hiding who I was, I was lying to myself, along with everyone around me. By hiding who I was, I was losing myself. By hiding who I was, I was living my life protecting the people around me, while I withered away to nothing. I came out for myself.

Like all aspects of my life, coming out was about more than myself, it was about other people. The main reason why I finally decided that it was time to come out was because I knew there were thousands of youth across the world who were in my shoes. They were afraid to be themselves. I saw more and more stories of LGBT teenagers committing suicide and I finally decided that it was time. It was time for me to build up the courage and use my voice. I knew that even if I could save one life, that coming out was going to be worth it. I knew that if I would have had someone older than me to look up to in the LGBT community that I would have felt more comfortable in my own skin. In the end, I wanted to be that person for someone else. I wanted to show them that there are people out there just like them. I wanted to be a role model for them and show them that it does get better. I wanted to show them that coming out is worth it. There is nothing better than being able to be yourself. I came out for others.

Lastly, it is important that I came out because I have a voice and that voice can go a long way. Some people in the LGBT community are unable to use their voice and I have the ability to speak up for them. I have the ability to make a difference in the world everyday and I will use that ability. By making videos on my YouTube channel, speaking at school board meetings and writing articles about my experiences, I have had a positive mark in my community. I have received countless messages from kids who are confused and kids who are afraid, and I honestly feel like my voice has been heard. I feel that if I continue to talk about these issues that one day they won't be issues anymore. I have to keep pushing forward for the generations after me. I came out to use my voice.

Coming out is one aspect of being gay and I know that some people don't know the significance of coming out, but that is also because they have never been in my shoes. They may think that I should have just kept hiding, but if it was them, they would know that you can only hide for so long. They would know that coming out is better than feeling like you want to die.

I came out for myself. I came out for others. And I came out because I believe in the power of my voice.