Juan Silva
As the years have progressed, society has become more accepting of people of the LGBT community. More families around the world are now feeling safe enough to embrace their true selves. People throughout different social platforms, like singer Troye Sivan and actress Rowan Blanchard, have become iconic LGBT inspirations for people of all ages. Thanks to these inspirations, more people have begun to feel safe about their sexual orientation. The LGBT community has grown to include many people of different ethnicities, genders, races and ages.
My older brother came out to our family when he was 13 years old. I remember he was so nervous he couldn’t pronounce any words. However, my mother knew what he was trying to say. My family became very accepting of his decision and embraced him with open arms.
Years later, I decided to come out to my friends at the age of 12 years old. I remember the journey of coming out was both a sense of relief and panic, but my friends were as accepting as I hoped for. Now that my family is composed of two people that are a part of the LGBT community, life went on like it had before. We woke up in the morning, got ready for school, did our homework, and did our daily basking in rainbows and glitter. Just kidding.... Well, at least I know my brother did not do that. Life was normal-- nothing changed after our coming-outs.
However, what really was a head-turner happen during the summer of my sophomore year. One day, my mother came up to my brother and I and announced that she was a Libra…… again, just kidding. What she told my brother and I was that she was gay. I thought my life was going to be like one of those online articles written by people with gay parents that say that everything is rainbows, rainbows and even more rainbows, when in reality, life is absolutely normal. We talk about our day, I go to her when I need help with homework, and we do basically all the things a typical family does. Nothing changed after my mom came out to us.
Some people may think once someone comes out, suddenly their whole life transforms: people will treat them differently, or nothing in their life will ever be the same, but honestly, life is the same after coming out. After my family came out, life remained consistent...though I would say the only thing that changed was the fact that coming out made us closer as a family.
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