Personal Narrative: Homophobia

Sitting on the edge of the marble countertop, leaning against the refrigerator with my knees tucked to my chest, I rubbed my phone frantically against my athletic shorts—having been smudged from my sweaty and oily face—as I apprehensively prepared to divulge my colossal secret to my best friend. In the reflection of the screen, I noticed my ears had reddened; I could feel my underarms dampen and my breathing become shallow. I only had to say three words—two if I used a contraction—yet those words seemed so foreign on my tongue, even though they were native to my brain. I tried to calm myself down by taking a few deep breaths, but the lingering smell of barbecue chicken and mashed potatoes did little to alleviate my nerves. For the first

I learned that I could be religious but gay, naïve but intelligent, confident but doubtful. While the words of my peers and society might be offensive and disrespectful at times, I could tolerate and befriend them, as their homophobia didn’t represent nor encompass their entire personality. Additionally, if I do ever experience homophobia again in my life, I’ve learned how to appropriately respond without disparaging the other person and without enabling them to besmirch me. Ultimately, I learned that being levelheaded and validating the other person’s perspective has enabled me to successfully thrive during moments of

I wouldn’t change a single event that affected my coming out story. Why? Because I learned the importance of self-acceptance and positivity through my experience with this struggle. I wouldn’t be the same person today, writing this essay, without