Coming Out Archives - Page 2 of 4

Riding the Rails on Christmas: Helping Homeless LGBTQIA Youth

By : Shelonda Montgomery December 18, 2020 01 Comment

In the dead of winter in Chicago, an African-American male teen sits asleep on an L Train during an early morning rush hour commute. His clothes - a white t-shirt which he folds his arms inside to shield them from the cold, and blue jeans - are stained with dirt. The tongues of his white laceless, well-worn gym shoes stand stiff. The muddy laces limp on the cold train’s wet rubber flooring. His dreadlocked hair is filled with lint and other debris. His face is bruised, tired, and sunk in. His skin is dry, muddied, and peeling. He is Homeless. He sits alone in the far back corner. The morning commuters board, frown at the mere sight of him, walk in the opposite direction, and sit. It is prudent to

Nobody Puts an Age Limit on Coming Out – Chapter One

By : Stephanie Rosas December 9, 2020 01 Comment

When I first decided on writing my coming out story, I didn’t realize how long it would be until I started to actually think about it. Why is it so long, you ask? Well, throughout 30 years of life, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, as I’m sure everyone else has, too. But my challenges have caused me to have to delay coming out to my family. I’ve battled with insecurities, self-love, and mental health issues all my life and I am still battling these issues every single day. However, I feel like it’s important to talk about these things because even though you feel alone and as if no one knows what you’re going through. I’ve quickly come to realize that you often feel that way when

What No One Told Me About Coming Out

By : Daniel Evans December 3, 2020 Comments Off

My dad used to always tell me, “Everyone is the first person to discover fire, at least in their own world.” For most of my life, I largely brushed it off as one of those things your parents say to you—you know, the little pseudo-epigrams they make up to sound wiser and maybe even a little world-wearier. Parental ethos, or something. I realized, though, once I was in my 20s, that this was more than one of those nonsense jeu d’esprits. Granted, I never asked what my father intended by it, but I don’t think my own working analysis of that statement is what he meant at all. Regardless of what his intention was, I know what it means to me. I know that the first time my friends called

The Difficulties of Coming Out

By : Shelonda Montgomery November 26, 2020 Comments Off

In a perfect world, we can stand before our friends and loved ones, show them our authentic selves, and they will still love and depend on us. However, the real world is imperfect, so when I came out as bisexual to my loved ones a few years ago, some were accepting while others recoiled with disgust and turned away. For me, losing the people closest to me was undoubtedly the most difficult part about coming out because nothing could have prepared me for it. My mother and best friend of ten years were both disgusted. My mother was angry with me and my best friend essentially told me that I was possessed by a demon. I was devastated and lost. I questioned if coming out was worth losing loved ones

One Foot In The Closet

By : Becca Levitin September 9, 2020 Comments Off

“God,” I thought, “I really wish I could share my acceptance into the Writer’s Cohort with my family.” I had already told everyone else important to me. As with all the happenings in my life, I told my lovely partner first, who I owe both my morning laughter and my bedtime stories to. He was delighted to hear the news and will probably be just as delighted to read of his mention in my first, but certainly not last piece for MyUmbrella. Next, I told my therapist and friends, whose resounding praise still rings in my ears as I sit and write. Two important people are somehow always missing when I try to tell the story of my queer experience: my parents. My parents were born in 65’ in the

Francine’s “Partner” Experience

By : Francine Canelo September 9, 2020 Comments Off

As of my senior year, I’ve been with my current partner, so almost four years. I call him my partner because I’m bisexual, and one of my preferences regarding pronouns is using terms such as “partner” instead of boyfriend, or fiancé, or husband. If I were dating a woman, she would be my partner, too. For me, this is deeper than inclusion: it’s a safety net. To understand why this is important to me, I have to recollect on my experiences in high school and middle school. I never came out, I had always had relationships with both women and men, and everyone who knew me knew that gender was not one of my preferences. It was a strange, unceremonial event: one day I started dating my best friend, and

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