Coming Out at Yale (to family back home)

Ah, Yale. It's good to be back after three and a half months of a severe lack of queers. I must say, I have already had quite a (n unintentional) bang to the beginning of the semester. Prior to a few weeks ago, I was not out to any of my family back home. Because of their conservative beliefs, I decided not to bring up the subject of my sexuality and hoped it would simply be a non issue, something we didn't discuss- like a crazy aunt you keep in the attic or something.

Anyway, my brother, the member of my family with whom I have the closest relationship, came down to visit me one weekend. Due to a splendid game of "Never have I ever," he soon learned about some of my past behaviors. I was conscious of this, and watched his face during the game. He was surprisingly, in my opinion at least, non reactionary. When the night was coming to a close and we were walking back to my room, he turned to me and asked, "Hey, do you like girls?"

"Yeah," I said, partially because I love my brother and hate lying to him and partially because I was God damn sick of hiding.

"That's cool," he said, "I do, too."

And that was the end of it. Simple. Much easier and less dramatic than I expected. I still talk to my brother almost every day and nothing has changed. Coming out to him has given me hope that the rest of my family will be as calm about it and realize that the person I am and the person they love does not become some entirely different person the moment her sexuality is revealed.