It was hard, because, as sawyer said, I wasn’t sure what the reaction would be. I have always had mad crushes on girls, but chose to ignore my gayness before eventually having to gradually admit it to myself.. that was the biggest struggle I experienced. It’s funny because we lived in San Francisco and I had been raised amongst a bevy of gay men, who were my mom’s closest friends, so much so that they were considered family. Actually, I expected my mom to be the one not fazed by my pronouncement.. and yet, telling her was the biggest let-down of them all. She surprised me with her disappointment and, later, denial. It took her about 10 years to get over it (mostly), to ask about my current girlfriends, to want to talk about that aspect of who I am.
Really, though, most of the people I told were supportive, so I quickly realized it was okay and that I could be myself. I then went through a period of extreme pride.. now I’m back to it just being me. :)