Open post TVDean @tvdean@mstdn.social · 41mo ago Replying to @RiversideBryan@blahaj.zone <p><span>Several months ago, a number of the LGBTQIA+ community here in the Fediverse, shared coming out stories.<br>I've always felt sharing our story is important. We feel less alone when we learn others had a similar experience. <br>Recently I went looking for that thread, and sadly it is gone, victim to a number of instance migrations. <br>I am going to share mine again, using the hashtag </span><a href="https://blahaj.zone/tags/ComingOutStories" rel="tag">#ComingOutStories</a><span>. If you are able, consider sharing whatever parts of your experience you can. I find it very therapeutic to put it all in words. <br><br></span><i>My Coming Out Story</i><span><br><br>Up until a few months ago, I had only told a few people my coming out story. I now understand how important it is to share our experiences. Anyone reading these will realize they aren’t alone.<br><br>I’ve always been smaller than others my age. Add red hair, freckles and glasses, I was a bully’s favorite target.<br><br>My bullying was extreme, often physical and much more than unkind teasing or simply being stuffed in a locker.<br><br>My home life was equally troubled. My father was abusive to my mother and us kids. There was no support system for me at such a young age. Seeking help from adults always made retaliation even worse.<br><br>Early on, I sensed I was different. Clearly my classmates did as well. And so it continued. <br><br>My freshman year of high school, some football players grabbed me, took me into a bathroom and beat me to the point an ambulance was needed.<br><br>Their excuse was “he’s a faggot.” <br><br>My family home was on a hill, in front of our High School. (See attached photographs). The weekend after I was hospitalized, someone burned the word “FAG” into the grass on the back of the hill behind our house - facing directly into the front of the high school.<br><br>The humiliation I endured from the entire community, seeing that word burnt onto our property every day, was worse than the broken bones, stitches and bruises.<br><br>And so I was outed.<br><br>My father never spoke to me again, which wasn’t a big deal, given how physically abusive he was. <br><br>Sadly my mother is one of the worst bigots I know. MAGA-style bigotry. To this day, she does not understand why it is racist to have a "plantation" motif in her kitchen, complete with "lawn jockey" and Aunt Jemima style figurines everywhere.<br>She thinks "religion can fix the sin of homosexuality."<br><br>I frequently considered running away over the years. But I had three younger siblings who relied on me, especially when our father went into a rage.<br><br>I left that town after graduation, joined the Navy and rarely go back.<br><br>My support and love now come from friends and found family met along the way in the years since. And my life is all the better for it.</span></p> @RiversideBryan@blahaj.zone Thanks for sharing your story, Bryan. I'm glad that you are here to tell it 🫂♥️