Just this past friday, I finally gained the courage to come out to my dad. I decided to write a letter to him telling him that I was gay. As I was writing and for about the next hour I began to have an extreme panic attack. I was crying, hyperventilating, and I also just began to fear all the terrifying things that can happen to LGBTQ+ people when they come out. I began to pack bags and held onto my keys in fear that I could be assaulted by him and may have to leave. Luckily, I told my mom what I was doing and she kept supporting me and reassuring me, but I was in pain for the two hours after writing the letter while waiting for them to come home. When they did, I pulled my mom aside and asked her to make sure he didn’t talk about the letter until morning. She agreed and I then went to bed. All of yesterday, he never said a word to me, and today was no different. I have honestly given up with caring, we don’t have the relationship most family has with each other and I rarely feel empathy from him. I’ve come to the point where I feel like I did what was necessary by coming out and don’t care about what he does or feels. Is this wrong? Am I being a complete jerk? I don’t think so, but please, if someone does or has anything to say in response, do.
