Hey guys, my name is Tommy, and I'm excited to be a new writer for Freedom Requires Wings! I've always been involved with the arts to some degree. I filled diaries and journals turned to online blogs throughout the course of my 21 years, and I'm thankful to have a platform that will help project my voice a little more and give a point of view.
I am gay, and I've known at least since I was in middle school (after learning the term). Until then, I just knew of myself as different. Growing up is tough enough, but the added pressure of coming to terms with your feelings is one of the most mind-boggling battles a person can go through. I just remember living day-to-day inside a shell, feeling a little nervous and unsure of myself. All I used to worry about 5 years ago was coming out as gay and how my life would turn out. Would I have a place in this world? Would I be happy?
By the end of high school I had come out to at least a dozen people including my older sisters, a close relative and a friend whom I didn't think would take it so well. I never received any rejection. In my twenties now, I've put my mind to rest on coming out, and realized that trying to label myself all of those years is what truly tormented me the most. I treated being gay, like it was a job interview every day, that I needed to act a certain way to win over someone else's approval.
To this day, I still have not come out to my parents, but they do know I am gay and my older sisters tell me they are fine with it. 5 years ago I was unsure of how they would react, and seeking out other gay communities online opened my eyes to a lot of negativity that was happening with other teens coming out. This is when I stopped worrying. I told myself to wait until I was absolutely ready to come out to them, and only to do so when I had a way of showing them how being gay is the same as any sexual orientation, - for the goal of finding love through another being.
But now I realize that the few short years I've been away at college, I still come home to visit with a giant elephant in the room. But I have a huge support system and I'm 100% ready to come out soon. ;) It doesn't bother me that I seemed to have put my worries aside for a while, because while I was thinking, growing and changing, so were those who I haven't told yet.
Being gay should be no different than being any other sexual orientation, and within time I'm sure heads will turn our direction in favor. I feel like the goal is to have people question and try to understand rather than just accept blindly and quickly. I am amazed at how much has changed in the last 5 years, and thrilled that social media has helped us project our voices and connect to others around the world.
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