What Gave You the Courage to Come Out?

REMEMBER how hard life used to be when you were still in the closet? Remember how you had to hide? Then, eventually, there came a time in your life when you realized, "This is not good. Why am I wasting so much energy pretending to be something I'm not," and at that moment, that became a turning point in your life. In our latest qvSurvey, we asked you about that turning point. We asked you what gave you the courage to come out of the closet, and here's what you said:

"I think it was the fear of having to live a lie my whole life. Also, not being able to share my whole self with my family." -28 years old, Bronx, NY

"I came out because I got tired of lying to my loved ones, and I just wanted to be myself." -21 years old, Beaverton, OR

"I found the courage to come out from my boyfriend at the time. He was a year older than I was and he was already out to his friends. He said that it felt so good. I was scared to come out, but I knew that he would be there if anything went wrong. He really gave me courage." -21 years old, Perth, Australia

"I got the courage to come out when I moved from a very small town to a big city where being QV was much more accepted. Most of my friends knew before I told them." -65 years old, Portland, OR

"Having parents who were cool enough to have QV friends made it easier for me to go to them with the issue. My mother's stylist was QV and some of the guys who worked for my father were 'wild,' as he would put it. I later heard them discussing one of my dad's wild workers who was coming to dinner and he was bringing his boyfriend, so I kind of knew they would still care for me after I told them." -30 years old, Dallas, TX

"One of my friend's boyfriends came out to his family (a traditional Mexican family). Even though I saw the pain he was going through, I also saw that he was somehow more relaxed and happier. I got the courage to come out because I wanted to feel the same happiness and freedom." -22 years old, Pomona, CA

"The courage that I found began with myself. I didn't want to continue living my life in lies so I came out." -24 years old, San Diego, CA

"I got the courage to come out because I knew if I kept going on like this, I would have killed myself. I came out because I felt whatever the hell it would be to come out, it would be a hundred times less worse than staying closeted. -17 years old, Houston, TX

"I came out because I figured that I would rather build my life on an honest foundation rather than pretend and lie about who I was to others." -47 years old, New York, NY

"Prayer gave me the courage to come out. It was God who gave me the strength to admit who I am-to myself and to others." -31 years old, Hampton, VA

"What gave me the courage to come out? When I first fell in love with another guy. For the first time, I felt complete, happy and strong enough to face the world and to accept my sexuality." -30 years old, Pico Rivera, CA