Kira Pierce, a senior in software engineering.

(they/them/theirs) or (she/her/hers)

When I came out for the first time, I was absolutely terrified. I come from a very rural area where we all grew up with the expectation that we’d go off to have husbands and traditional families, and really, through most of my childhood, I didn’t see a lot of LGBT+ representation.

It finally got to a time when I was really struggling to keep it to myself, so I grabbed my cheap tablet with a pretty awful camera, walked down to the edge of a cornfield and recorded a video. I explained how I’d kept it all in for a really long time, told some awkward jokes and finally said my truth, coming out as bisexual at the time. I identify as a lesbian now.

I remember shaking the whole time, my voice cracking from how tight my throat was, and I was wearing shades to cover how red my eyes were from being on the verge of tears. I finished just before Ma called across the yard to come in for dinner. That night, I stayed up until midnight, nearly chickening out over a dozen times, but as the clock signaled the new day, I posted it to Facebook.

I went into school that morning with a black hole in my chest, absolutely terrified of what was to come. The first person that said anything to me was someone I knew was very strongly religious and not altogether progressive, but to my surprise, he gave me a high five and told me how proud he was of me for having the courage to admit who I am. And the rest of the day followed with similar reactions. Some kids whispered and stared, but no one said anything awful to my face.

My mom worked at the school, and she hadn’t seen the video before going to work, and in the strangest twist I could imagine, no one told her what I said, just telling her that there was something she needed to see. When we all got home that night, I hid in my room for a bit until my parents called me into the living room. It was tense, just me staring at them and them staring at me. Finally, my mom said, “Why didn’t you just tell us?” They weren’t angry at me for being LGBT, they were miffed they weren’t the first to know about it, which I think might be the coolest thing my parents have even given me “the look” for. And to this day, they’ve been extremely supportive, defending me against anyone that felt it was their place to comment. And I can’t express enough how thankful I am for the loving family I’ve been blessed with.

These coming out stories were put together by the diversity news editor, Madison Mason. If you or someone you know would like to submit your coming out story, reach out to Madison Mason at [email protected] or submit your story here.