Originally Posted by OOS

So, I know that I don't post here incredibly often, but I feel that I might as well make a contribution to this thread.

So, I figured out that I was gay not too long ago. Before that I had been in denial for several years, trying to force myself to be straight, but it never felt right. Eventually, through a combination of various factors, I realized that I was actually attracted to men and stopped hiding from myself. That was...half a year ago? Maybe more? I can't really remember when the exact time was that I "knew", it was more of a gradual process.

In any case, I kept it to myself for a while; I had never been one to discuss sex with people (mostly due to my insecurities with regards to my own preferences), and I wasn't (and still am not) looking to date, so it was fairly easy. Eventually, though, I came out to a few friends, who took it exceedingly well. With the prospect of university coming up soon, though, I feel that soon i'll probably have to come out to my other friends and family, because I do want to start looking into having an actual relationship, but I have no interest in trying to hide it from everyone (and I imagine that with facebook and all that now it would come out on its own sooner rather than later).

My worry now though is that certain people will ostracize me completely in my family. We've never had a homosexual, and it's not a topic that ever really comes up, so I don't know for sure how a lot of them feel. Still, i'll have to bite the bullet at some point. Any pointers on how to broach this subject from those who have done it before?