How old

[FoolinTheRain]

Just wondering how people were when they either first realized and accepted they were gay, or when they came out too peers/family

I was 15 when I came like halfway out to some close friends, and now I'm sixteen and fully out to the world
anyhoo

[psyche]

i was 12, 13, 14 when i was trying to come to grips with the fact that i was different. not in terms of sexuality, because i was not sexually active at those ages but that i felt like people didn't understand me or treat me the way i wanted to be. at about 14 i started to have feelings for girls and chalked my discomfort around others up to my sexuality. once i realized it and began dealing with it things became easier. at 15 i came out to my mom and one of my friends. that one friend told everyone and anyone until the entire population of this town knew. then i figured fuck it and told my dad. then somehow the rest of my family found out and now at 17 i really don't care less who knows.

[Patch]

i knew when i was 13...and i told my friends that i was bi...not wanting to commit all the way just in case...14/15 i had my first girlfriend...and by then i knew i was gay...and i told most of my friends that i was gay...then eventually the school found out...i'm sure parents around town know...but i haven't told either of my parents or my brother...or anyone in my family...i almost did today because my mom and brother and i were talking about gay marriage...but i chickened out...yeah...basically everyone knows except my parents...i won't deny it anymore...if someone asks i just tell them the truth...

[monosphere]

I'm kinda in the same situation with you, Patch. Just about everyone knows except for my family. I've tried finding the courage to tell them, but just when I think they're going to survive the news, they go and do something like heading down to the stadium to a "sanctity of marriage" rally while I'm out there with my picket signs. AARRRGGHHH!!!!!!:mad:

But that's a little off topic. I was 17 when I had my first M2M sexual encounter. But it wsn't until i was 19 that I accepted that I really was bisexual and it wasn't a phase or experimentation.

[rocknroll_girl]

I had obsessive crushes on women all throughout childhood and junior high, but the thought of myself being a lesbian never even REMOTELY entered my head. Well, one time it did when I was about 13 and wrote about something that "is kind of a problem, but it isn't, really" - regarding a particular infatuation with my basketball coach at the time. That was the first time I actually recognized the concept and wrote the word "gay."

Then freshman year of high school I fell head over heels in love with a girl two years older named Kristin and that was that. Thought I was bi...didn't tell a soul except for my best friend Nick, who as it turns out, is also gay, for a year. 15 and 16 were really tough.

Over the past year, however, I've come to terms both with the fact that I'm a lesbian and with coming out to everyone I know. Everyone does know now, which is a nice feeling - generally a supportive community and very supportive family. So at 17, I'm out.

[Flowerchild]

I'm kinda like rock'n roll girl. I had HUGE crushes on so many girls, esp. last year in the winter....but i never really thought it was a crush, I thought I just really liked her as a friend...then along came my exgirlfriend last year in june, we started going out when I was really drunk so I couldn't chicken out. Stupid me still didn't realize that I was bi..."it's just a phase" nobody really knew about me and my gf. Then I came to the US and met this awesome, awesome lesbian couple, everybody accepted them and soon I had a gf and everybody accepted me. So everybody I know here knows that I'm bi. But in Germany...my sister knows, 2 or 3 of my friends know, but that's all. I'm so scared of telling my family!
Oh well, you probably don't wanna here this anyways!
Thanks for listening...

[SunshineLily]

I was 14, same age as when I got my first boyfriend...

Love, Peace, Joy, HOpe, Freedom, Peace and Health... Always
- Sunshine Lily
xxx