Coming Out

A recording and a reveal

"Come on already! Work stupid camera" says John as he frantically tries to make his camera work. After a few minutes of struggling to get it to work, it finally has a red recording light. He goes to sit on the stool behind him and begins to speak.

"Hello. My name is John Whitlock, and I am 16 years old. Today is October 5, 2022, and I am making this recording to tell my story; The one in which I tell coming out journey." John pauses to gather his thoughts for a second. I had known that I liked guys before I even entered high school. But at the time, I felt that I couldn't tell my family because I was afraid of how they'd react. I first found out in the eighth grade when Tommy Morales took his shirt off in P.E. and from that moment on, I knew that I was different than the rest. I am making this recording to explain the events that transpired the day before, otherwise known as the day, that I told my parents that I am gay.

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October 4, 2022

John lies asleep in his navy-blue bedding snoring. His alarm was loud and woke him up almost immediately. John turns off his alarm and jumps out of bed. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and the sun was piercing through the crack of his blinds. He goes to shower and brush his teeth but not before making his bed. Once he finishes doing so, he heads downstairs in his suburban home in Denver, Colorado, where he finds family downstairs. His sister 6-year-old Sophie drawing, his dad is reading the paper and his mom is in the kitchen baking cinnamon rolls. As soon as John reaches the last step of the stairs, his mom catches him out of the corner of her eye and says "Well, look who's finally up". John chuckles at this while his dad mumbles something incoherently through his paper.

"You're right on time. I was just about to take out the rolls out of the oven. Want to give me a hand with these?" she asks John. He says "Sure" and proceeds to help his mother to ice the rolls. As he is helping her in the kitchen, she says "So John, anyone cute at your school? Any girls you like?". John stammers shell-shocked at the question. He says "No, not really" without looking his mother in her eye.

He somewhat lies. There is someone at his school that he likes but he can't tell his family that he likes the star quarterback Miles Tenner. With his golden locks, chiseled jaw line and gorgeous smile how could he not look at him. He was practically built like Hercules himself. John evades any further questions made by his mother and help his mother in silence. As they finish, they sit down at the table and the four of them eat the rolls and go on with their day each doing their own thing besides Sophie who is playing with Mom.

As the day was coming to an end, John was lying in his bed. His mom and dad were in the kitchen working on dinner. All of a sudden John decides to take matters into his own hands and decides that enough is enough. He gets up off his bed, heads downstairs to his parents, and asks them if he can talk to them for a second. "Sure. Everything okay?" asks mom. They stop making dinner for a minute and the three of them make their way to the dining room table. As they all sit, John gets back up and begins to pace the room nervously. His mom asks "Are you okay? Why are you pacing?".

For a split second, John is trying to say the words, "I'm gay" but the words just won't come out. Instead, he picks up his sisters drawing book that is lying on the dining room table, flips over to a blank page and writes the words, "Mom, Dad. I'm gay" and hands them the notebook.

For a few seconds they are silent and then his dad gets up out of his chair and storms out of the room. His mom, however, remains seated but at the same time speechless not looking at her son. Distraught about their reactions and not sure how to feel about it all, John goes to up to his room, locks the door and is sobbing for a good 10 minutes or so before he hears a knock at his door.

He goes to open it drying the tears from his eyes along the way. He opens the door to find his mother standing there. He tells can tell she had also been crying because her eyes like his were puffy. Without saying a word, she gives John a tight bear hug and tells him "It's okay."

As soon as he hears those words of affirmation, he hugs her back and he begins to sob. These are the tears of compassion that John was afraid he would never receive from his family. But now that he has received them, he knows that he is loved. He would later use this compassion received to help other LGTBQ kids through their journeys.