Visibility: A Letter to my Closeted Family · 3:21am Jul 3rd, 2018
Today, a reader told me something that brought a tear to my eye: I'd helped them come out as gay to their parents.
A lot of feelings raced through my head and my heart as I read the message: happiness for them for taking the plunge, relief once they said it had gone mostly well, pride that my work had some small part in it, and joy that, with every person who comes out, the world gets a little brighter for the next person that realizes they're queer.
Stuff like this is why I wrote Sensation and a huge driving force in my recent story, Pride. Coming out is, for many people, a momentous occasion, and it's one of the hardest decisions many of us queer folks have to make (and we have to make it many, many times, with each new person we meet). We're more than just that one moment, though. We're all people with interests and passions and fears, just like everyone else. I strive to deliver that message whenever I write queer content, because as much as our queer identities inform who we are, they aren't the only thing that we are, and I've found it's easier to take that big step when I know there's more to come after it. And there is more – so much more – and it's beautiful and exciting and heartbreaking and full of more experiences than you can imagine.
Visibility matters. I grew up in a time when queer people were a joke, and I realize how lucky I am that it was after we were seen as a threat. People have worked so, so hard – and many have died – so that life can be easier for us. Every one of us that writes a queer story or posts some art can help someone out there, even if we never know it. The world's getting better, even though times seem scary right now. The pendulum will swing back our way, and US support for things like gay marriage is higher than ever. For my international friends, I hope the trend favors you as well. Please don't give up. And to everyone who has come out: thank you for carving a space out for the next person to follow in your footsteps.
If you're struggling and don't know if it's time to come out yet, it's okay. Go at your own pace; you'll know when it's time, even if you're never 100% sure that it will go as well as you want. Until then, read stories that you can relate to. Look at art that makes you happy. There's a community here, made of talented, diverse, extraordinary people, that are ready to embrace you, and you get to choose when you're ready to join in.
We're here for you, and we're happy to call you family.
~Vivid
Art by ShutterflyEQD
Good to ear that your story inspired someone once again, keep up the good work Vivid.
I've had a similar experience, and honestly, I can't agree more. It's the most fantastic, humbling experience knowing you're helping people go through what you yourself went through. It's genuinely an incredibly difficult thing to do and to play a part in making it easier? There is no better feeling. I myself have noticed that every word, every song, every story, that spoke to me and made me less scared of who I was made it so much easier and filled me with hope. So don't be scared to say those words, or stories, or songs, because you never know how much it actually means to someone else out there.
We have a fantastic community of writers here on FIMFic and I'm honoured to just be able to contribute and write stuff that people can connect with! And you, along with the other fantastic writers that have made their spirit known here just help to not only keep the community strong but use it's power for things that really matter to us. I hope all of us here manage to help many more queer people, inside and outside of fic writing!
Being an inspiration really does bring out the fuzzies.
That said, how is Braeburn not plummeting to his death through that cloud? I guess Twilight owed them a solid or something.
I won't stop saying your story has probably inspired a lot of people in their own lives. It certainly help me made some new friendships that leds to discover more about myself and to be more open-minded when it comes to talk about who i am. (that includes coming out as bi to my family) So i'm glad to see there's always people willing to say they're grateful for your work and what it did for them.
So thanks.