Coming out is tough. Coming out as a 12-year-old is social suicide. Liberating social suicide. When Rafi D’Angelo made his bisexuality public, the world turned against him and he didn’t have anyone by his side. It got so bad, Rafi even attempted suicide.

More info: Twitter

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But right then, during one of the worst periods of his life, the boy made an unlikely ally who gave him the validation and support he so desperately needed. Now, many years later, Rafi publicly thanked the guy on Twitter and his emotional rollercoaster ride of a thread went viral.

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

Image credits: RafiDAngelo

If you’re someone who’s thinking about coming out, just remember, everyone should do it in their own time. You may feel under pressure to tell those close to you that you are lesbian, gay, or bisexual before you are ready. But according to Ditch The Label, you don’t have to. There are no obligations. Coming out is just about you. No one else. If you start to think about pleasing others, you might lose sight of what is really important – your happiness on your own terms.

And even though you may feel ready to come out, you may not feel you fit any particular “label.” Using terms like lesbian, gay, and bisexual is absolutely fine but there’s no need to identify as anything. But if you decide to do so, reading about how other people came out might give you that last bit of confidence to say the words that you need to say. RUComingOut is just one website with plenty of real-life stories as well as interviews from celebrities. Most people who come out go through the same anxieties and they experience very similar fears, so hearing how things turned out for others might be useful for you as well.

And when you are ready to come out, you don’t have to tell everyone straight away. Start by choosing one person who you trust more than anyone else – a friend, a sibling, a parent/guardian, or a teacher. Open up to that one person and take it from there. If you do it and things seem a thousand times easier, you’ll know you’re on the right track. Also, you’ll have someone you can talk to and ask for advice on how to come out to others.

Here’s what people had to say

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