Erin O'Flaherty, who was crowned Miss
Missouri in June, talks coming out and her commitment to suicide
prevention in a new interview with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC),
the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate.
O'Flaherty said that coming out was a
slow process which changed her life for the better.
“My coming out was very slow, in my
mind,” O'Flaherty
said. “I never had an 'aha!' moment that propelled me out of
the closet. It took living through my teenage years filled with
confusion and struggle to slowly realize and admit to myself that I
was gay. Once I accepted it for myself, my coming out just felt
natural from there. There is no denying that coming out is nothing
less than awkward. For some, it is even filled with hatred and
bullying from peers and, in some cases, strangers. However, I can't
imagine living my life without being open about who I am. It has
changed my life and outlook for the better in every way. It is the
hardest thing I've ever done, but it was by far the most rewarding,
as well.”
Elsewhere in the interview, O'Flaherty
talked about her platform of suicide prevention.
“My initial commitment to suicide
prevention began after I lost one of my best friends to suicide when
I was 13,” she said. “As I navigated the grieving process, I
learned that there were warning signs and risk factors associated
with an individual contemplating suicide. I wondered what might have
been if I had been educated beforehand. Would I have been able to
save my friend?”
“Losing a loved one to suicide is so
tragic – there is not much closure, if any. It became therapeutic
for me to spread the word that suicide can be prevented. Initially, I
became familiar with the QPR
Institute and the AFSP [American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention]. I learned so much from the
educational resources that they provide. As I struggled with my own
sexuality and eventually coming out, I found my passion in The
Trevor Project – suicide prevention dedicated to the LGBT
community,” O'Flaherty added.