Bi Pride

Short answer: I didn’t.

Long answer: I’ve never considered myself closeted. When I realized I wasn’t straight (roughly 4 years ago this month, actually) I was pretty much open about it. I didn’t take anyone aside to come out or anything. I just simply outed myself as it came up, usually through witty puns like when my coworker made a comment about wishing we had a register conveyor belt that “goes both ways”. Generally, my treatment of my sexuality has been very casual. It started with just being out as it came up and within a year that progressed to the “out and loud” that I am now.

As for coming out to my parents, I didn’t. The idea of “coming out” has never appealed to me because I don’t think we should have to. I think the culture of “straight until proven queer” is bullshit and more of us should normalize being out without having to make a show of it. So for the entire first year of knowing I was queer I was “out” without “coming out.” I ended up deciding to formally come out during Bi Awareness Week my freshman year of university (3 years ago next month). I wrote up a Facebook post and used that as my “official coming out” but I wouldn’t say I was closeted to anyone before that. Anyone who didn’t know I was bi yet just simply hadn’t had a reason to know yet. That includes my parents. If it had come up for whatever reason (dating a girl, conversations about gay shit, whatever) then I’d have told them, but it didn’t so I didn’t. My mom saw the post and she’s chill about it. I’ve never had a reason to talk about it with my dad but I feel like I’ve been vocal enough about it the last 3 years that he probably knows. I had someone tell me after I made the post that I should legitimately come out to my parents, but I didn’t want to then and I don’t regret not doing it now. Honestly, the one thing I ever regret is making the “coming out” post at all. It was probably the catalyst for me becoming as vocal as I am about being queer, but again, I don’t really like the concept of coming out.