15 heartwarming coming-out stories that will reinstate your faith in humanity

It's never easy coming out of the closet. It takes incredible courage to even say it to yourself and to say it aloud, let alone open up to your friends and family. Everyone has their own personal journey towards realizing who they are, whether it be their gender identity or sexual orientation. To have the support of your loved ones, when coming out is everything one dreams of. It's even harder for those growing up in deeply religious conservative families. Here are some of the most moving coming out stories that we have come across:

1. 'I love you no matter what'

Matthew Christian, a teenager, came out to his mom in a viral video in 2017. The video shows a nervous Christian as he struggles to open up to his mom. She embraces him and reassures him throughout the video, constantly telling him that she loves him. After he says he's gay, his mother tells him that she always knew he was gay but wanted to hear it from him. "I love you no matter what ... Don't you know that? I just want you to be happy." When he says sorry, she says there's no reason to be apologetic and hugs him tight.

2. Father overhears son talking to boyfriend on the phone

Nate shared with his boyfriend his plan of coming out to his parents the next day, but little did he know that his father had overheard the conversation. Nate's father responded by giving him chores to do, reported Gawker. The letter was timeless though. The letter read:   

Nate,
I overheard your phone conversation with Mike last night about your plans to come out to me. The only thing I need you to plan is to bring home OJ and bread after class. We are out, like you now. I've known you were gay since you were six, I've loved you since you were born.
- Dad
P.S. Your mom and I think you and Mike make a cute couple.

3. 12-year-old Mormon girl came out to her congregation: 'God loves me just this way'

It takes great courage to come out as gay, even more so when you're family members are part of a Mormon church. In October 2016, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints updated its guidelines on homosexuality, stating that while homosexuality is not forbidden, it still is to act on such attraction. A 12-year-old girl named Savannah came out as gay to her congregation and her speech was amazing. "No part of me is a mistake," she told the congregation. "I do not choose to be this way, and it is not a fad. I cannot make someone else gay and being around me won't make anyone else this way. I believe that God wants us to treat each other with kindness, even if people are different," she said. "God loves me just this way because I believe he loves all his creations." Her mic was cut off, and they didn't let her complete her speech. "I don't want to be mean to them if this isn't true, but I felt like they were scared of me and what I was saying," she told The New York Times.

4. Twins call up their Dad to let him know they are gay

Austin and Aaron Rhodes are famous as the twin YouTube stars. They had come out to their entire family but their Dad and decided to do so on camera. The duo called him and get emotional as they prepare to open up their Dad. They break down in tears as they struggle to string their words together, but when they finally do, their father lets them know that he accepts them for who they are. "You know I love you both, you know that will never change. You gotta live your lives," he said.  

5. The sprinter who came out to his teammate, who then came out to him and they started dating

Brad Neumann was a track-and-field athlete and had spent a considerable amount of his life around jocks and homophobia was rampant. It was his teammate Justin Rabon who threw him a lifeline by coming out as gay to him in a text message. He replied and confirmed that he was gay as well. "Finally, I had someone I could relate to," wrote Neumann in Outsports. "We would talk for hours about everything, each of us being 100% ourselves for the first time in our entire lives." They went on to become a couple. "The happiest day of my life was the first day we spent together as a couple," he wrote. 

6. Mom has the most hilarious reaction to daughter coming out

After coming out, a woman posted the hilarious reaction of her mother, who's also a minister. The woman, who goes by Bri on Tumblr, posted the video poking fun of her coming out of the closet after she came out as gay. Not in the least surprised, she knocks at a closet door jokingly and added she was surprised it took so long. "For us, it was like [opens the door], are you coming out? No, not yet? All right. Every now and then it's like [ knocks], you ready? Oh, OK, well, let us know when you're coming out!" Bri posted the video and wrote, "My mom says this was how it was when I came out. I love her. She's a minister everyone. Religion shouldn't involve hate." 

7. As casual as you like

One person wrote that the best reaction to them coming out was from their sister: "She just laughed and went “cool! Why don’t you dress better?” - u/whateverathrowaway00 

8. No unplanned pregnancies to worry about

"Two of my daughters are gay. It's an absolute bonus knowing that teen pregnancy is one less thing for me to worry about! If they have kids, it will be because they really want and plan for it" - u/Someonetobetoday

9. 'That’s between you and God'

I came from a politically conservative, Christian, “religious right” type of household. At 26, I took my mother out to dinner and finally worked up the courage to tell her as she ate her salad.
“Mom, I’m gay.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“Look, that’s between you and God, or whatever you believe in. We’re probably going to disagree on some of those things but that’s not my job. My job as your mother is to love you. And that’s that.” She kept eating her salad. I was blown away. Definitely not the reaction I expected or had steeled myself for. -u/Kelvinist

10.  My mom went to buy a trans flag

11. Guy tries to come out as gay but everyone already knows

A person got his loved ones in a car to come out as gay but realized that they already knew. They then ended up telling him when they all realized he was gay and it's the most wholesome video ever. 

12. Trans student who came out during a class presentation

Benton Sorensen came out as transgender during a school presentation and the video went viral. He used the presentation to tell his classmates about his journey to becoming a transman as he showed pictures from his past as he shared his story.

13. 'So are we getting food?'

"Can I mention when my best friend came out to me? It was like 10 years ago and we still laugh about it. We met in a Cafe for morning tea. He came out before we ordered. I looked at him, went 'ummm, ok. Are we getting food as well or just drinks?' He was so relieved. I asked him a few years ago if he was disappointed at my non-reaction - he wasn't. Said it made him feel so much better.- u/BuguyaBriarLeigh

14. Teenagers are using Jason Derulo's to come out to their friends and family on TikTok

15. 'I support you'