Not All Coming Out Stories End Tragically - Coach Ian

The IRL Social Skills team and the families we serve had a wonderful experience during a recent session. We asked Coach Ian to write about it for our audience.

Not All Coming Out Stories End Tragically

We have heard of stories across America where members of the LGBTQIA+ have announced their liberty of sexuality to their loved ones — and it didn’t end so well. Being a 38-year-old African American male that identifies with the community, I didn’t have that experience (of not being accepted by my family for my sexuality), neither did I understand how others did.

During our IRL Social Skills class a few weeks ago, we were teaching about dating. I asked one of the social coaches to share, and with a smile, she spoke to us her truth about her learner. She was very particular in her announcement using "the person," and "they" as descriptive pronouns. Immediately my GAYDAR said PING PING PING!

I privately messaged my coaching colleague and we chatted about it. We later found out that our learner was and is in fact a proud member of the community and has come out with a LOUD COLOR BOMB. He is president of his school Gay-Straight Alliance, and he “booked” a date before we could even teach him the skills of how to date!

There isn’t much to say other, than he was welcomed and embraced by his parents, as well as both the learner and the social coach groups. He successfully had his date and now we wait….for the official announcement of them to be “steady”. This is how life is supposed to be, LIVE, LOVING, HONEST, and TRUE!

Coach Ian J. Knighton