Tuesday's National Coming Out Day
called on gay people to come out to a friend, family member or
co-worker. But many decided to take it further and let the whole
world know that sexual orientation isn't something to be ashamed of.
“My name is Sean Chapin. And I am
gay,” the author happily states in an 11-second YouTube video
titled Hey,
Guess What?
A young girl named Gabby
with a British accent recounts in another video how she came out gay
to her mother at 16: “Wrote my mum a letter. And the letter
started out: Dear Mum, I need to tell you something. I'm pregnant.
Just kidding. I like girls.”
A young man named Will
recorded a video with pointers on how to come out to family and
friends.
“I receive at least a message a day
from people asking me how to come out to their mom, their best
friend, their grandfather, or their dog.”
“Coming out to friends should be an
easy ordeal. They're the ones you confide in. The ones that don't
turn their back on you. If they do, you've been surrounding yourself
with the wrong people.”
“The family is a completely separate
monster altogether. In this case, it's more important to be rational
about your decision making. You should know what you're risking
whenever you decide to come out to your parents. If there is the
slightest possibility that whenever you come out to your parents it
will leave you physically injured or homeless, I suggest you wait.”
Tyler,
a 22-year-old young man, says in a five-minute video that he came out
gay when he was 14, then calls on people to respond to his message.
Another young man says he's been out
three years, then adds: “Happy National Coming Out Day, America.”
(The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)