There are those moments that are so life-altering it’s hard to ignore the significance they’ve had in shaping your character. Any member of the LGBT community that is out and open knows that coming out is one of these moments.

Growing up in Grand Junction, in a household where gay was seen as taboo and rarely talked about, coming to terms with my sexuality was a discouraging process. I remember first feeling the way I did around puberty. While other guys were drooling over girls, it became apparent to me that I was different.

When I started to realize these changes, I repressed what I felt as much as I could. I remember distinctly lying in my bed at night praying to God that I wasn’t this way, that I could just be “normal” like the rest of the guys, but regardless of all the praying, fighting and repressing, I never changed. From then on I masked my sexuality as much as I could.

My self-acceptance came at the end of my freshman year of college. I had just broken up with my girlfriend of over a year and finally admitted that I was gay. That was when I knew there was no turning back. After telling a few friends and my younger sister, I had my parents left to tell.

This was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. What I told them was not met with happiness. After days of yelling awful things back at one another, I was given an ultimatum. Either I had to change, or I had to leave. I already knew I couldn’t change. I had spent years of my life attempting to do so with no success, so I made the difficult choice of packing up everything I owned and living on my own.
Even though I felt an extreme amount of rejection, I had a supportive group of friends that made the two years of being in very little contact with my family easier. That’s not to say times weren’t rough, because they were, but things got increasingly better. Today, my family and I are close again. It took so much forgiving to get where we are today, but I see hope of us being the tight-knit unit we once were.

I have one thing to say to those of you struggling with your sexuality or gender identity. You’re not alone. There are people out there who love you and support you. Coming out is entirely on your terms when you are ready to, but once you finally get to the point where you accept yourself, there is no better feeling of freedom in this world.