Saturday, September 5, 2015

My Return to the Blog-o-sphere!!!!

Hey Guys,

It's been a really long time. First off, I am alive. I am currently listening to "Miley Cyrus and her Dead Pets," and thoroughly pleased with life. The last few months haven't been overwhelmingly good, so its nice to feel content and happy again. Here is a scatter-brained, disorganized recap of the high points.

Really, I just want to catch all of you up on my life, or at least the triumphs I have been having lately. First off, I came out to my family. All of them. My grandmother and parents have known for a while, but I decided to make it official. A big thing that prompted this was an article I read online. it was not a good article. It talked about a gay man in the Salt Lake area who was brutally attacked. (article here. CW violence) It was graphic, terrifying, and to be honest, the entire article made me want to retreat into my shell, and hide. Make my life a little easier by following the Status Quo. Almost immediately after that, I realized that the best way to get acts of violence like this to stop, is through visibility, and so I came out to my brothers within that week. 

They took it amazingly. I felt no love lost. Honestly, nothing has changed at all, except my middle brother is more likely to bring up drag queens in conversations. (Yes, I am a fan of RuPaul.) By the time I made it home for vacation, everyone in my immediate family knew. It was amazing. The entire time my family was camping, I slowly turned up the heat, talking more and more openly about my experiences with being gay. The miraculous thing was watching my parents (who have told me to not get too comfortable being gay) relaxing, and starting to even make little jokes and comments. Again, it was amazing. 

The best part of the entire trip home was our family campfire devotional. My dad lead the discussion, and though I have no idea what gospel topic he discussed, I do remember his testimony. In his testimony, he talked about how happy he was when he was able to watch his sons doing things that make them happy, whether it be performing, playing sports, or succeeding at school. And then, with tears in his eyes, he expressed his love for us. He told us that no matter what we do, he will always love us. That he wants us to be happy, It was amazing. I never thought I would hear that coming from my dad, who has routinely ignored my sexuality. 

If all this is not enough to make me feel #blessed, I got a letter from one of my grandmothers, expressing support, It was all and all an amazing trip. 

I know I am lucky. I know that many of my friends, no, my family in the LGBTQIA+ community do not have the same support that I do. If I have any advice to give, it would be give it time. No, time does not heal all wounds, and unfortunately some people will never be accepting of things they do not understand, but I can say that in the last two years since being outed to my parents, I have seen great improvement. And if your parents, family, and friends never come around, always remember that you are loved. I love you, and there are others in your same shoes. Reach out if you need help. 

And lastly, if you have not checked out Mika's new album, entitled "No Place in Heaven," check it out. As a gay man, he captured exactly what we all go through in his own eccentric and almost psychedelically happy way. I find it amazingly cathartic.

Thats all for now! Look for more coming from me soon.



Update/correction/whatever: Good News!! turns out that the incident in the article I read was faked. Never-the-less, homophobia is real, and the artilce still had a profound effect on me. 

2 comments:

  1. Hey there! Welcome back! I look forward to more updates!

    That's awesome your family is so supportive. You've got some good people in your life. I recently came out to my family as well, and my experience was also very positive.

    And while the article you shared is extremely sad and scary, I must let you know the guy made it all up. About two weeks after the supposed incident, he confessed it all as a hoax. Turns out he was just looking for attention. http://kutv.com/news/local/delta-hate-crime-victim-admits-he-made-story-up

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    1. I'm soo glad your family was also supportive. It is incredibly nice to have that weight off your back, isn't it?

      As for the story, I have never been happier to have fallen for a hoax! And I am still very happy I read it, because it turned out to be the catalyst for coming out.

      Thanks for the comment and support!

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