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Coming Out? Just Do It! - Story by John

Submitted By: Jonathan
Date: 3/2

Hello,
This isn't really a question, but it's a short word of advice to everybody who reads this (and I know lots of people do: you're a star, Dave!).

I'm 16 and I go to a pretty conservative single-sex school in Australia. At the beginning of this school year, after thinking it over a lot, I decided to come out to my friends at school. Of course, my friends decided to make the thing into a press conference and the next day, everybody knew. The thing I'm trying to say is, I thought it wouldn't go well.

I didn't know how my friends would react. How could I? They'd never suspected I was gay. Would they still like me? Would they be able to meet my eyes? And I wasn't too keen on how some people who *weren't* really my friends would react. But you know what?

***As soon as I came out, I feel a whole lot better. I wasn't afraid. I was comfortable about being MYSELF. The fact that everybody was great about it was a bonus, because this wasn't about them. This was about ME, and being free to be me!***

My advice to everybody out there is: please, please, please don't stay hiding all your life. Weigh it up. Talk to some friends you can trust about it. Take a long time thinking about the pros and the cons. But I can tell you that you just feel SO much freer when you can actually be yourself at school. Trust me on this one.

Just Do It.

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