Ok, so I guess the falling for your best friend is more common than I thought... I had never dated anyone before or had even had a real crush in my entire 16 years of life, I never thought that I was good enough for anyone. Then I really started to like my friend Toni and it kind of freaked me out. I mean, I never had anything against being gay, I was just scared of ruining our friendship. In fact, I had been facinated by slash fiction and online fanfiction for a while before I realized that I could potentially like members of the same sex.

Anyways, it turned out that after months of trying to convince her that we would be a great couple, it made more sense for us to just be friends. Over the past few months I have decided that I am bisexual... mostly because I still want to try with guys and it's way easier for me to explain to people. I've told a bunch of my friends in the past few weeks (mostly straight girls). Also, one of the first people that I told was my sister and she has given me a great deal of support. I have yet to fully tell my parents. Once, I told my mom that I could potentially like girls and she kind of brushed it off. Plus my dad randomly brings up conversations about gay rights, like I'm some sort of expert. I'm pretty sure that they suspect it, my parents are pretty smart... and very liberal. So it should be ok, right?

I came out about a year ago to my best friend. I was a total wreck.. I couldn't stop shaking. I had all these questions running through my mind.. "Would she still be my side?, would she treat me differently?". I tried several ways to bring it up but it was just too hard. I had her to try to guess who I liked.. At the same time, I knew she'd never get it because I liked a girl. I found that comforting since I didn't want my secret out. But I was also frustrated and wanted her to figure me out. I was tired of pretending and keeping quiet. After naming off millions of guys, she finally asked me if it was even a guy but I simply brushed it off and said haha no way! The one day I told her, I ready to explode. I almost told her at school but it was too late. I could have waited the next day but I ended up telling her over AIM. Once I pressed enter, I remember running out of my room thinking ' Oh crap! What is she going to think!!". She asked me if I was bi and I gave in and said yes. The problem was that she could not support my decision. That brought some tension into our friendship for a while. I was confused and lost. All I wanted was someone's support and understanding and she couldn't do that. But she treated me exactly the same way she's always treated me and it hit me. I was still the same person to her. I can't thank her enough for that.

hmmm...well, actually, first person I told was my friend carolyn because she actually asked me about it and after a while I was like, hey, I think I am gay, or bi at least lol. Only person I officially came out to face-to-face was one of my guy friends who I liked (which ended up making me confused because I was considering lesbianism) but he asked me too and I was just like, "yeah I am". He ended up being like "I am too" (though he ended up being gay. grr...). So the few experiences with coming out I've had have been very anti-climatic. I consider myself very lucky though since I've known people who've had to deal with their friends kind of freaking out (even if it was only temporarily) or their parents going ballistic. Which is why mine are probably not going to know anytime soon if I can help it.

My coming out experience started September 2006. When after much time, a lot of pain, tears, etc. I came to accept that I was a girl. This happened on a boy scout camp out (badddd time eh?) Well that exact weekend I told myself i was going to tell my best friend Greg. So that Sunday afternoon I logged onto World Of Warcraft (We both play it lol) And i told him, straight up, right there, that I was a girl. He took it very well. Then i told my two other main best friends Jack and Jackson. (two different people) Everyone was ok with it. I had to go to Las Vegas that week, my cousin that lived there had died and i was attending his funeral. While in an arcade in Las Vegas, i came out to my younger brother. He threw up 3 times.... But i talked to him about it, and he started to come around a little. I wrote my mom a 3 page note on the drive home. I gave it to her, and then went about my business. She showed up the next day and took me on a drive. She cried, and cried, and cried, and yelled, and cried... It wasnt good. I thought at the time that i was a lesbian (i kinda wasnt cool with liking guys too then), she called me a useless, pussy sucking freak. Thats quoted btw. I've hated my mom since. Well ive came out to over half my class (junior class in my school) and everyone has been ok with it. Except one of my hardcore Christian friends, he now hates me. But other then that, all my friends treat me as Brooke, and not Dustin. I have sleepovers with my girlfriends, we watch movies, paint our nails, their parents are perfectly ok with me. God how i wish i could live with them. Although its all in secret, my mom dosnt allow me to be me, no hormones, no dressing, im not even allowed to have a myspace with Brooke, I still do it though. Online is one of the few places i'm allowed to be me, i cant in school still, or at home. Ive also came out to a few of my old teachers, my english teacher (who is amazing) called me Brooke in class from then on, i wrote my name as Brooke, i was a girl to everyone in that class. Sadly the teacher moved. =[ But all the teachers who ive came out to have been ok with me.
Maybe one day my mom will come around and i can start on a therapist again (she pulled me out of the last one because he was beginning to agree with me.) and if not, then im going to college, never to be seen by my hating family again unless they come around. I also came out as Bi to her and my friends later, my mom was still pissed, and my friends are all ok about it.
I also came out to my grandma, she took it much better then expected, but not perfectly.
And thats my life story, only 2 more years of hell and then i can finally be me, and start to finally be a woman.

The first person I came out to was my best friend. I was so nervous, I was shaking while I was trying to tell her. In the end I managed to say "I like girls". She just said "Okay. That's fine" and gave me a big hug. I started crying, I was so relieved. I didn't stop smiling for 3 days after that lol.
I told one of my other friends in september, and it was still pretty never-wracking, not quite so bad as when I told my best friend though. She was fine with it too. A few months later I told the rest of my friends, again with the shaking and nervousness. They just looked at me, and said "Is that it? We thought it was something really bad"
It's great now, because they treat me just like they always did. Once, they were teasing me about this girl I liked, and one of them said "How did we have fun before you came out?"

As for my parents.... I told them, but they don't really believe me. Apparently I'm to young to know. I think my dad's happier than my mum.

Well, I came out to some of my friends about four months ago. I told them I was Bi, though I kinda lean toward Gay now. Most of them were okay with it, one thought it was cute, the others kinda freaked out.

I told my Mom. She went onto Doctor Phil's website to figure out what to do. She was going to send me to an Ex-Gay camp, or whatever those are called. Now, she thinks it was all just a bad joke, 'cause I couldn't stand her being like that.

If I told my Stepdad, I'd never hear the end of it. He's already the meanest guy I know.

Apparently, I'm too young to know what I like and don't like.

When my Mom said that, I told her to screw herself.