13 Coming Out Stories from the Bellesa Community

We asked the Bellesa Community to share their coming out stories in honor of Pride Month. Here are some of your stories! 

1. “I realized I was bi over quarantine. I came out to my family with a cake that said ‘surprise I’m bi’”

2. “I came out as pansexual to my husband when we were watching Quantico. I had been attracted to women before and always just blew is off as a phase, but Priyanka Chopra tho… My husband works in LGBTQ work, so talking about that stuff is not out of the ordinary for us. It was a commercial break and I told him that I thought I was pansexual. He told me that he had been thinking that he is too and we high-fived over it and went back to the show. Coming out to my niece showed me how loving and accepting kids can be. She was hitting that age and was realizing classmates having two moms or two dads and started to ask questions. I kept it simple, that I liked both boys and girls, but there are also some people that don’t identify as boy or girl and I not only like them too, but that’s how I feel. She listened, nodded, said “cool” and we high fived… Almost all of my coming out stories end in a high five”

3. “Two years into a hetero relationship, I came out to my (then) boyfriend. He started crying thinking I was breaking up with him, no babe just an update.”

4. “In the middle of it after 15+ years married to a man. The most alive I’ve felt in my life!”

5. “I realized I wasn’t straight when I was eight years old, but I didn’t yet have the language to even think about what my identity was, I just kinda thought I was ‘different’. It took me until I was about 15 to come out to myself and begin to accept my sexuality, coming out first to my online friends, then my twin sister, and then to some close friends during a school camp. I came out first as bi, but the following year I realized I was a lesbian. I think this scared me at first, but now it’s one of my favourite things about myself and I love loving women and non-men!! I also identify as non-binary, so the label of ‘lesbian’ really encompasses my identity as it means ‘non-men who love non-men’! I still am trying to work up the courage to come out to my parents, but I know they’ll accept me. It’s my grandparents I’m worried about, but oh well :)”

6. “Came out to my mom and she literally left the room and yelled ‘Steve, she finally did it!’”

7. “I told my mom that I was bisexual while doing the dishes. She just smiled and said ‘yeah me too’”

8. “My mom bought a pride flag this past year for pride month and she was showing me how excited she was to put it up for the neighbourhood to see. Then she said that it could be for celebrating a couple different queer people she knew and then I said that it could be for celebrating me! Then I told her I’m bisexual. Honestly a very wholesome experience. She was even more proud to hang it outside our house after that!”

9. “Came out to myself as bisexual last year. Haven’t told anyone, but acknowledging it feels good.”

10. “Called my mom in tears because my first girlfriend broke up with me. It was double sad because I hated that I didn’t get to tell my mom when I was happy. Luckily the story ends well because we got back together a week later and have been together ever since”

11. “Never ‘came out’ just dated whoever from all genders”

12. “I came out to my parents as pansexual when I was 16. I ended up getting lectured that there was apparently on straight and gay and that I was “going through a phase”. My mother ended up developing bell’s palsy from being stressed out from my coming out and we didn’t speak for the rest of the year. I was also forced to apologize for stressing her out so much. Four years later, an argument about how little I trust my parents came up. I told them that I stopped trusting and sharing personal information with them since I came out and my mother replied with “you’re still on about that?!”. We proceeded to not talk for about 4-5 months. In present time, they are still not accepting of it and I just want everyone to know that they should not be afraid to come out. It can be scare and takes a lot of courage, but it is freeing that have it off your chest and to live as true to yourself as possible. There is a whole community of queers and allies who support you and love you. I love you all!”

13. “Came out to my parents, they said we don’t care who they are as long as they aren’t an asshole.”

Whether your coming out story is funny, emotional, or yet to be written; we hope you all have supportive communities that embrace you and allow you to be your most authentic self. Happy Pride! <3