Written by Lyla Schmidt, one of our amazing bloggers.
Everyone has a routine and usually that includes things like school, homework and our jobs. However, being an openly gay young person, part of my day-to-day routine is homophobia and dealing with ignorant people who choose not to accept my lifestyle. As June is Pride Month I thought that I would share my experience of being a lesbian and my struggle with homophobia.
So I haven’t been out for a long period of time, however in the couple months I have been, I have been supported by my mum and family. One of my major fears with coming out was being kicked out. I am extremely lucky that my family loves and supports me no matter what as there are many people who do face this kind of discrimination from those closest to them.
My coming out story is fairly simple. One day my little brother asked me about why I didn’t have a boyfriend yet and I explained to him what being gay was and that I was a lesbian. My mum overheard and asked me about it and I just said that it was true. I was prepared for the worst case scenario however she was really happy and told me that she loved me no matter what.
However many people aren’t as accepting of my personal preferences. Many people that I know struggle with the idea of homosexuality and what that looks like. Many people make comments like homo or are you sure and it’s just a phase. I would like to say that (a) yes I am a ‘homo’ and I like it, (b) yes I am sure that I like women because (c) I thought about it for years so I’m sure it’s not a phase. These kinds of comments are hard to deal with so I always try and make a joke from them or create a smart comment depending on the situation.
Puberty is hard enough without the ignorance and disregard for my opinions and preferences. So just in general I believe that you should treat people with the respect that we deserve.
If you are a LGBTQ+ person dealing with any kind of homophobia or transphobia, there are different resources out there to help you, especially online. These include The Trevor Project, ReachOut, QLife, and the Pride Foundation.