Once again, I apologize deeply for the lack of journal-writing that has been becoming a habit of mine.

The past two weeks have been amazing, and I really wish I had been writing in this more often. This week is my coming out week. The following is a letter that I am writing now and will be giving to my parents tomorrow:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am writing this letter because the difficulty of telling you what I am about to write far surpasses anything I have ever told you.

Over the past two weeks, I have been becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of telling you that I am gay. I met a junior at Hartford named John who is gay, and he has really helped me on many levels. He’s always willing to listen to what I have to say and to my concerns, and in such a short time we have become good friends.

The other day, John told me about when he came out to his parents. He said that he could not face them in person, for he had no idea how they would react. Therefore he wrote them a letter that read “Dear Mom and Dad, I’m gay, Love, John.” His mother then came into his room to talk to him. She was unquestioningly supportive from the beginning, and she told him this. She told him that she would always love him no matter what, and that she backed everything he felt was right. Similarly, his dad completely understood and also voiced his support.

Of who I am, I am not ashamed, and there is nothing that will ever change who I am. Even so, it should not matter. All I am asking is for you to have an open mind and to accept me for who I am. John told me about how good he felt that, to his parents, the gender to which he was attracted mattered not. The love they shared was unconditional and genuine, and they were not ashamed of their son for who he was on the inside, and how he chose to express himself.

I can only hope that you do the same.

Love,
 Charlie