THEGAYUK

Tag: Coming Out

Read the latest news and advice on Coming Out as LGBT+.

  • Nine-Year-Old Pupil Reacts Perfectly To Her Teacher Coming Out As Gay

    A nine-year-old apparently wrote an acceptance letter to her “great, amazing, brilliant and brave” teacher who shared with his class that he was getting married to a man.

    The teacher told his class about his sexuality to demonstrate issues that could be brought up during anti-bullying week. Speaking to PinkNews the unidentified teacher said, “I’d asked who’d heard ‘gay’ being used as an insult. Almost every one of my class put their hands up. I was stunned,

    “Then I asked who thought that people who were gay or lesbian were bad or wrong in some way, again almost every hand went up.”

    The teacher then asked the Head teacher of the school, whether he could share the news about his fiancé, to show that when people used gay as a pejorative term, they were actually talking about someone like him.

    He continued, “The reaction was fantastic – there were a lot of gasps and shocked looks and some basic questions – do you have a boyfriend, etc – but after a couple of minutes they were over it and we moved on to the rest of the lesson.”

    The amazing letter sent by one of his pupils, known only as “A”, was given to him shortly after the lesson – and it “brought tears” to the teacher’s eyes.

    Dear Mr R

    “Even though you’re gay, I will always treat you the same way as I do now. I still think about you the same way as I used to. You’re a great teacher and these are just some of the word’s [sic] that I would describe you as: great, amazing, fantastic, brilliant, awesome and brave.

    “The reason why I say brave is because you shared a personal secret which was very brave.

    “You don’t have to feel scared because I know that everone [sic] in the class feels the same way as I do.

    “From A x x

    PS. We are all proud of you”

  • Dad Tells Son His Coming Out Is “Worse Than Death”

    We’ve heard quite a few successful stories when it comes to coming out in recent years, but this painful message exchange from a father to his 15-year-old son shows the struggles some people still face when coming out to family and friends.

    Shocking Facebook messenger messages from a father to his gay son have emerged on social media after he said that his coming out “was worse than death”.

    Tyler from Vancouver in Canada posted the homophobic and abusive messages he received from his father on his Tumblr page. The messages were a result of Tyler coming out on Facebook post.

    “We took care of you since you were a baby. We loved you, took care of you when you’re sick. Lost many days and nights in all your fifteen years. Now [sic] this is what we get in return, shame and embarrassment…Take out your post from the social media. You embarrass me… I’m going to puke.

    “if only you didn’t reject God and His teachings in your life you could have been strong enough to stay from evil and scums that surrounds you.

    “stay away

    “Take out your post from the social media. You embarrass me from all the people I knew. I’m going to puke. Whatever you do it reflects on me. People will ridicule me,insul;t me and I might turn out to be a criminal. I have enough of all this bullsh**

    “You are trying to ruin me. This is worst [sic] that death

    “You f****K,!!!”

    However Tyler is hoping for a positive outcome soon, speaking to HuffPost he said,”I’m upset with what my dad said, but I don’t hate him,

    “I’m hoping there’s still the possibility that he could change, even it takes while. Maybe he could accept me, because that’s all I want… I just want him to be there for me.”

  • Coming Out As Gay To A Devout Muslim Father

    Khalid el Khatib the son of a Palestinian refugee who risked everything to come to the United States, stayed in the closet on the advice of his therapist because he did not want to disappoint his father. However, when the pain became too much Khalid decided he could no longer lie to his family.

    In a new very touching video for www.imfromdriftwood.com the LGBTQ Story Archive, Khalid articulately explains that four years later, although some issues remain, he has the full love and support of his father.

  • The Incredible Letter From A Nine Year Old Gay Kid

    Sometimes we get a letter to editorial that floors us. Yesterday evening we got an email from Amaya’s dad, who wanted to share this amazing letter that his 9-year-old daughter had written about being gay.

    Hello! My name is Amaya and I am 9 years old, and today I will talk about being a lesbian child.

    There are many different types of sexuality, such as being “straight”, which is what people THINK is the norm, but really, it is not. Everyone has their own sexuality, whether people like people of the same gender, different gender, or if they like both, or even none at all!

    Not knowing your sexuality is troubling; I went through it, and I was scared. I wanted to know about myself, and not knowing was scary. You may go through this stage sometime, but if you’re going through puberty, you most likely will find out soon.

    Being a lesbian is “bad” to some people. Some people feel its wrong, and they have their reasons, but these reasons are mostly quite stupid. Love is something we cannot control. It’s not a choice, but some people think it is.

    if someone bullies you for it, you know what you can do? Go to an adult you trust. If they say that your sexuality is wrong, well, the world is horrible, but hope is not lost. There is someone out there who will love you for being YOU. Beacause (sic) you are amazing. and no one is like you, and that makes you SPECIAL.

    Many children, teenagers, and adults have killed themselves because they were either pushed to be different, bullied, or not accepted by their own families for being themselves, and many people have been working to help the people who are young and afraid. There are marches all over the place to support peoples’ sexualities, and it’s amazing.

    I was very lucky out of many people. My parents are bisexual, and they don’t feel it’s wrong that I am lesbian. If you too feel lesbian, telling your parents might be hard, but if they can’t accept you for being you, try to help them understand! If they can’t and say something like “Its just a phase” if you’re young, they may feel you’re not old enough to understand. But you know yourself better than anyone. Be open to your parents about your feelings and if their response hurts your feelings, let them know. If they cannot accept you, the ones that are supposed to LOVE and CHERISH you, go find help. Try to access the phone and ask someone to help. No one should take away who you are and put down a replacement of what they want you to be.

    Speaking about his daughter’s coming out, Amaya’s Dad said, “Like many parents we had an inkling as to her sexuality from a fairly early age, and when she told us she was unsure of her sexuality (before she determined that she is a lesbian) she was actually pretty nervous. We explained that her sexual orientation wouldn’t change anything for us – that we love her the same regardless, and she didn’t need to worry about how we felt. I think that gave her the confidence to look at her feelings without fear. She’s always been a brave kid.”

  • Did Louis From One Direction Come Out As Gay?

    Social media is in overdrive after a video is released of Louis Tomlinson who is reportedly heard saying, ‘I’m gay it’s pretty unfortunate’.

    • The video is of Louis Tomlinson with others in a hotel lobby.
    • The muffled audio is hard to understand, however, people on social media are suggesting that he’s saying he’s gay.
    • Two hashtags have gone live #LouisWeLoveYouNoMatterWhat and #ImGayItsPrettyUnfortunate.

    Those One Direction boys are constantly surrounded by gossip and speculation, but now Louis Tomlinson, 23, has reportedly been heard to say, ‘I’m gay it’s pretty unfortunate’, during an exchange with a fan in a hotel lobby.

    However, some fans are claiming that Louis was replying to someone else who said their birthday was on the same day. Louis has been dating his girlfriend, Eleanor Calder, for two years.

    You can hear the clip below – what do you think he said?

    The singer, who has over 18 Million followers on Twitter has yet to acknowledge the clip on Twitter, however fans have already created the hashtags, #LouisWeLoveYouNoMatterWhat and #ImGayItsPrettyUnfortunate.

    Last year, Harry Styles admitted during an interview that gender was not an important factor in a relationship.

  • We Can Finally Welcome Joel Grey To Our Cabaret

    In one of the worst kept secrets in show business 82-year-old Hollywood & Broadway Star actor Joel Grey finally came out publicly as gay. He told People Magazine “I don’t like labels, but if you have to put a label on it, I’m a gay man,”

    He says his friends and family know, but the Cabaret star, who was married to actress Jo Wilder for 24 years and raised two children, including actress Jennifer Grey, hasn’t spoken publicly about his sexuality before now.

    Grey is best known for his role as the M.C. in the stage and movie versions of Cabaret for which he won both a Tony & an Oscar, making him one of only eight people who have won both awards for the same role. He is also only the second out gay actor who has won an OSCAR: the other being Jodie Foster. (Canadian actress Anna Paquin who won when she was just aged 11 for her role in The Piano later publicly identified herself as bisexual).

  • BOOK REVIEW | Speaking Out

    ★★★ | Speaking Out

    Speaking Out is a collection of photographic portraits of LBGT young people (aged 14-24 years old). 65+ young people, mostly from the USA are photographed. On each portrait young people have shared their thoughts, feelings or an experience. The young people have been honest in sharing their joys and tribulations of being an LGBT youth in a heterosexual world.

    In Speaking Out photographer Rachelle Lee Smith took the portraits, handed young people a sharpie pen and left them to write what they wanted. Among other topics, young people wrote about: stereotypes, identity, homophobia, self-love and romantic love. Young people identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. It was great to see transgendered young people represented, however the vast majority of the young people identified as lesbian.

    Years later, some young people reconsidered their portrait. They wrote about how their lives had changed and what they would write now. It was enjoyable to read these reflections from young people and the book would have benefited from having more of these. Several pages of the book felt wasted as they contained quotes that either praised the photographer or the book its self. Never was there any praise for the young people who were actually brave enough to share their stories.

    Speaking Out is presented well, it’s a large book with 127 glossy pages in full colour. There is the odd page where a young person’s handwriting makes it difficult to read what they’ve written, but at no point is it unreadable.

    Speaking Out is an enlightening book that shows how we are all the same, rather than how we are different. It should be available in every school, college, library and youth club.

  • Country Star Billy Gillman Comes Out As Gay

    Another Country singer, Billy Gilman, comes out as gay via a YouTube Video.

    (more…)

  • Country Singer Ty Herndon Comes Out As Gay

    Ty Herndon a Country singer from Mississippi in the USA has come out as gay.

    (more…)

  • Did Maleficent Actor Brenton Thwaites Come Out As Bi?

    First, it was Harry Styles who said gender wasn’t important, this time it is actor Brenton Thwaite, who suggested that gender wasn’t important when it comes to the perfect partner.

    Is Brenton Thwaites gay?

    Aussie heartthrob Brenton Thwaite of Maleficent fame has caused a stir at a press junket with The Fix, after suggesting that his perfect partner might not be female.

    A fan asked the question which ‘three things you look for in a partner,’ Thwaite responded, ‘male or female? They’re very different.’

    We totally agree Brenton.

    Recently Harry Style melted the internet over speculation about his sexuality after he suggested that being female wasn’t an important trait for his lobster.

  • Harry Styles In Sexuality Speculation Overdrive

    Harry Styles In Sexuality Speculation Overdrive

    The rumour mill is in overdrive after an interview with the One Direction star casts speculation on the star’s sexuality.

     

    Harry Styles

    During an interview with Harry and Liam from the World’s most successful boyband, Harry dropped a rather heavy hint that perhaps his sexuality maybe isn’t just that of heterosexual.

    When the pair were asked what they looked for in a partner, Liam answered,

    ‘Female, that’s a good trait.’

    However Harry said, with an awkward giggle:

    ‘Not that important’.

    ‘I would say sense of humour, and like natural”.

    Later he added,

    “Someone who’s nice, you know’

     

    So apparently gender is not important to Styles. Whatever or whoever he is, TheGayUK wish him well.

    In 2013 Boy George caused a stir when he said,

    ‘Odds Are One Of One Direction Are Gay.’

    ‘I wouldn’t know who One Direction were if they fell on my head,’ he joked. ‘I’m older than them, they should treat me with respect. I blocked all the band, I couldn’t be bothered to hear anything they said but I couldn’t help winding up their fans.’

    ‘The odds are one of One Direction must be gay. I think everyone is a bit bisexual deep down, so the odds are they are probably all bisexual. They’re rock stars so it’s what you’d expect, isn’t it? I’d be disappointed if they weren’t.’