When Did You Know You Were Gay? | Psychology Today

Contents:

• "I REALIZED I WAS GAY": MEN WHO CAME OUT LATER IN LIFE ARE SHARG WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR THEM TO REVEAL THAT TTH AND LIVE AUTHENTILLY
• READG MY DIARY OM WHEN I WAS A TEEN MA ME REALIZE I ALWAYS KNEW I WAS GAY
• WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GAY?
• WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE GAY?
• I WAS MARRIED WH 2 KIDS WHEN I REALIZED I’M GAY

"I REALIZED I WAS GAY": MEN WHO CAME OUT LATER IN LIFE ARE SHARG WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR THEM TO REVEAL THAT TTH AND LIVE AUTHENTILLY

When I found out earlier this month, along wh the rt of the world, that one of my favore actors, Kal Penn, is a fellow gay man and now engaged to his long-time partner, I was so happy that he was openly livg his tth. "I realized I was gay last year, after 36 years durg the lockdown. After seeg a gay guy I uld see myself , I started to qutn myself more.

I me out as bisexual at 44 after my stepson me out as gay at 11 years old. "I moved to Ireland jt before the referendum that legalized gay marriage. Once the untry around me changed and I started seeg more gays the muny, felt safer, and I felt more fortable to e out.

READG MY DIARY OM WHEN I WAS A TEEN MA ME REALIZE I ALWAYS KNEW I WAS GAY

I'd fantasize about men and watch gay porn. Part of me felt rponsible for her ath, as if beg bi or gay and my feelgs of regret somehow ed .

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GAY?

I also realized that the label of ‘gay’ ma more sense for me than ‘bi.

But when I moved to California and saw more gay people, then I really started to realize .

I gus that's the pot I f the fn of 'gay' rather than bi. I have a lot of stori about folks who were homophobic but me around to acceptg me and honorg me for beg a gay man, once they got to know me beyond what I do bed. In the meantime, I kept watchg gay porn but wouldn't accept and felt guilty after jerkg off to .

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE GAY?

I me out to my wife many moons ago but took a long time to realize that prayg the gay away wasn’t workg. I’m a good place right now and share my home wh gay iends, as well as adult children.

I WAS MARRIED WH 2 KIDS WHEN I REALIZED I’M GAY

I basilly created my own gay muny. "I fally started serly qutng my early 40s and quickly realized I was gay. Pl the ‘80s was not a particularly good time to be gay — I thk fear of AIDS was possibly one thg that had me nial.

I wonr if I'd accepted I'm gay when I was 20, if thgs would have been much different. After spendg years dog all the manly thgs that were supposed to straighten me out, I had a particular weekend — a men-only whewater raftg trip — when I realized I did all the thgs I was aimg for that were supposed to change me, and I was still 100% gay.