We all have 'come out' or at least given a hint about our sexuality to our friends and cousins but we usually keep our most close ones (our parents) out of the loop stemming from anxiety and judgement. So, 'coming out' to parents is a rite of passage for queer people and also the most significant. Read below, our first coming out story of an IISc-ian.

John* had been trying to open up to his parents for a good one week during the lockdown period to give them time to think, but was unable to break the ice due to the potential uncertainity in their reaction. He had opened up to his brother a year ago and he had suggested to come out to in person rather than his idea of coming out 'virtually' through WhatsApp though all were living under the same roof. His brother reassured him all will go well and that he would support him as this is very normal.

At evening tea, he opened up to his parents saying, "I need to share something personal about myself. You both know about my brother and his girlfriend but not much about me. You tell me that I have so many female friends and whether I like anyone of them. But I want to tell you that I'm gay and I don't like girls in the way you might be thinking. And also it's not that I became like this after going to Bangalore, rather I realized this in school."

His mom replied, "Oh! That's very normal and it's what you are happy and okay with." He was expecting his mom to react otherwise but she was pretty chill. So was his dad who said, "This is a natural thing and this is the way you were born. This is absolutely normal and we are happy the way you are."

At long last, his guilt that he had kept his parents private from his sexuality no longer troubles John as he felt relaxed and elated after hearing his parents' reassuring words. He had hoped for the best in opening up to his parents and considers himself lucky that they do not consider homosexuality as a crime or something that will reduce their prestige and would be insulting. He is also grateful to his brother and friends for their support and instilling confidence.

A message from John: "Help, understand and respect each other because everyone is special in their own way. We must try to remove this stigma associated with homosexuality from our closed ones. This little bit from each one of us will make a huge change in our society."

Spread love since love has no gender!

*Name changed to protect identity.