Coming Out Essay, Research Paper

Coming Out

I stood there gazing at my reflection in the mirror, anxiously awaiting his arrival.

Everything had to be perfect. I had spent weeks preparing for tonight. This was the night

that Gary and I decided to reveal our true feelings for one another. We had kept our

homosexuality a secret from everyone and decided that the Senior Prom would be the

best time to come out of the closet.

The sound of the doorbell caused my forehead to bead with sweat. I opened the

door; Gary stood there wearing a sexy, black tuxedo that made his already broad

shoulders look even stronger. He pulled his hand from behind his back and presented me

with the most beautiful white orchid I had ever seen. As he said, “You look absolutely

stunning, my dear,” he gently pinned it to my lapel. I felt my heart race as he leaned

forward and kissed my cheek. He led me by the hand to the black stretch limousine that

he rented for this special occasion, and I noticed that his eyes lingered languidly over the

matching black tuxedo that I was wearing. I knew the evening would be perfect.

After an enchanting candlelight dinner at Geoff’s, our favorite Italian restaurant,

we headed for the prom. Sensing my anxiety, he gently brought my hand to his chest and

softly whispered reassuring words in my ear. Our moment alone together went by all too

quickly, and before we knew it, the limousine pulled up to the door of the American

Tower. I gazed skyward and saw the bright lights of the University Club, where prom

was taking place, located on the top floor. We simultaneously took a deep breath and

walked through the revolving, glass doors into the elegant lobby.

Once inside we briskly walked to the glass elevator. By the time we stepped onto

the elevator, my stomach was turning flips. My heart beat wildly as it slowly rose to the

top floor. I thought to myself that this was the moment of truth. When the doors parted,

exposing a ballroom decorated with hundreds of twinkling stars and soft, romantic music

filling the air, Gary looked deeply into my eyes and asked, “Are you sure you want to go

through with this?”

As I nodded my head nervously, we proceeded through the doors. Once inside he

led me through the people to the dance floor. Just then, “I Will Always Love You,” our

song, began playing. He embraced me and our lips met as we began to dance. In the

middle of this perfect moment the word “faggots” was hurled at us like a brick. We

looked up and noticed that we were the only ones standing on the desolate dance floor.

The room seemed to spin as hostility rose and slurs came at us from all directions. I ran

from the room utterly humiliated with Gary close behind.

After leaving the prom, we took a long ride in the limousine. For what seemed

like hours I sat blankly staring out the mirrored window of the limousine. The night’s

atrocities floating in front of my eyes and the word “faggots” ringing in my ears. I looked

at Gary and noticed tears hanging from the corners of his eyes. He then kissed me lightly

on the cheek and placed my head on his shoulder. As I drifted into sleep, I heard Gary

softly whisper, “I love you.”

The passage of time has helped to ease my pain from that awful night. Because of

that night, I have once again repressed my true sexuality. I should have known that we

would have never been accepted by those narrow-minded people. Most importantly, I

came to realize that even in today’s society people refuse to accept love in all its forms.