Personally, coming out was one of the most important things I've ever done, lifting from my shoulders the millstone of lies that I hadn't even realized I was carrying.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I learned that coming out was crucial to self-esteem.
Back in the day, coming out was something very personal. You began by acknowledging the truth, first to yourself, then to close family and friends. Those of us more in the public spotlight, though, also had to 'come out' to the press.
Coming out was painful, but life got so much better for me.
Coming out is a means of redefining oneself, of claiming membership in a lifestyle and a social order with distinct values. Chief among these values is honesty.
I didn't have a coming out moment.
What's it like to figure out you're gay and then begin the process of coming out? Well, for most of my life, I felt doomed. I could imagine no path that would allow me to realize my authentic self. I felt the need to lie, even to myself, insisting: I am straight.
Anyone in public life who comes out, comes out primarily for themselves, and their life is immediately improved. That's what happened to me.
My coming out was just so boring.
I came out when I was 17 - coming out in middle or high school is one of the most difficult things that anyone could experience. I wouldn't wish it on my enemies.
I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth - and truth rewarded me.