We’re told that high school is the place and time where we can truly find ourselves and discover who we are, what we want to do and who we want to become. It’s the time we–at least are supposed to–pick what path we want to take in our lives and decide what we want to study in college, given we are bound for higher education. Along with career discovery, a recent statistic points out that most lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people also discover their true sexuality in high school or around that time in their lives. And another recent statistic estimates that around 10% of the population in the U.S. aren’t heterosexuals, and it is believed this statistic is even higher among the younger generations. To translate that into terms of our school, that’s about 200 of our fellow classmates who are queer, around 50 per grade. With there only being a handful of openly-queer students around campus, under 10 I believe, it’s time that we all come out and show who we truly are.
As many of you know, I’m gay. Always have been, always will be. And although this isn’t the case for everyone, many need some experience for exploration, there are many of us who are about 99% sure that they’re not straight. This message is for you, all of you who know who you are, what gender–or genders–you like and want to shout it from the mountain tops, but don’t know how. For those of you who don’t know how your friends are going to take it when you share your deepest secret, or who think that your parents could somehow stop loving you; the message is: you’re safe, you can come out now. I promise you that your friends will accept you for who you are. And if on the rare occasion they don’t, then you don’t need bigots in your life anyway.
I challenge those who know and are conflicted about coming out to tell someone. Tell your best friend; have a talk. Ask them if they can keep a big secret and let it out; take small steps, little by little. Trust me, it’s liberating. And even if you’re straight and have a friend you can tell might be conflicted, reach out to them. Tell them you’re there for them no matter what; let them know that they’re not alone in this struggle.
And for those who are afraid about people at school judging you, trust me when I say that we are fortunate enough to have a very safe campus. I, along with a few people I’ve talked to, have never encountered any problems with being public about our sexuality. The more of us who come out and tell our friends, the safer our school becomes; the more connected we become. It’s time that everyone hiding in the shadows links together and forms a network of support and trust to liberate our true selves within.
In honor of Harvey Milk, the famous gay politician, I’d like to share one of his quotes: “burst down those closet doors once and for all, and stand up and start to fight.” I call on you to tear down that wall of seclusion–or at least take it down little by little. You owe it to yourself to be who you truly are. Life is too short to stay hidden, and, trust me, once you come out, all those fears you had will only shrivel away, trumped by the new and confident you. So please, do yourself a favor and join the network, show your support or take two steps ahead and come out. Sometimes people need a reason to come out, so let this be that reason. Let this be the time you find the true you and accept who you really are.