In our household, honesty was bigger than Jesus.  My mom had always raised me to be an honest person.  The fact that I was attracted to boys was never really a big deal; she and I had always discussed about who we think was handsome on TV at that time.  I joined a school basketball team because I wanted to and I sang in a local chorus group because I wanted to.  She was always supportive of me no matter what I was interested in whether it was a “boy thing” or a “girl thing.”  So I never really had a closet to come out from because she never built one.  We shared every thought and feeling as far as I can remember.

When I turned twenty-two, my mom asked me, “It isn’t a big deal but now that you’re 22, I have a question.  Are you ever attracted to women?”After the question, the conversation continued like this:

Me “No.  I’m gay.”
Mom “I knew it.  I mean I raised you gay.”
Me “It’s not a secret so can you just tell everyone if they ask?”
Mom “OK.”

So basically I made her come out for me.
When I moved to Japan last year, all the relatives including my grandma already knew that I was gay and I was welcomed into the family that I didn’t even grow up with or didn’t even know existed.  I also work at a place where everyone including the big boss encourages me to be who I am.

So I guess what I want to say to the LGBTQIA community in the closet is this: honesty can truly sets you free.  Who cares what strangers might think of you as long as you have someone who loves you unconditionally.  Unfortunately, I lost my mom to cancer about a year ago.  Without her, I was not sure if I could stay as strong of a person as I had been.  But she left me something that I can always count on: honesty.