Andrew Striker, Florida

I didn't come out until my first year in college. I didn’t even figure out I was gay until my senior year of high school, but I never even once considered telling anyone my secret. My plans for the future were as an officer in the military, not as a part of the same group of people I saw getting made fun of every day in school.

I started college in Air Force ROTC. I never once questioned where I wanted to go in life, but in the back of my mind there were always those thoughts and desires I had to suppress. The only time I let those thoughts resurface was when the semester ended, and my health took a turn for the worst. After discovering how difficult it was going to be to pursue a military career, I left my plans for the future and changed my field of study.

I spent the entire winter break thinking about my future and who I wanted to be for the rest of my life. When I finally came back to school I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be honest with the people I knew about who I was. I knew that if my friends were really my friends, being gay wouldn’t matter to them. So I did it. I came out to my closest friends at first, testing the waters to see how people might react, and gradually I came out to everyone else.

I didn't tell my parents until several weeks later when I drove the four hours home to see them. Although my father took it well my mother wasn’t as understanding. I consider myself lucky that at least one of my parents took it well.

I had a great group of friends and no one I know, besides my mother, took it badly. I don’t know what I would have done without all of them to help me. The best advice I can give anyone is to have that person, or group of people, or counselor, or teacher who can be there for you when you need someone to talk to.

Never be afraid of losing yourself in that small part of who you are. Being honest with myself and everyone else has shaped me into the person that I am. Now I have even more friends, and I’m a big advocate in the LGBT community. Coming out has made a really positive impact on my life.