Coming Out: Cheyenne's Story

Cheyenne’s journey is the seventh and final instalment of our reader-submitted coming out stories during Vancouver Pride Week 2013.

Cheyenne

Age: 21
Occupation: Makeup Artist

My name is Cheyenne, I am 21 years old. I’m a makeup artist, I moved from Saskatchewan. I identify as “pansexual” and I just started to identify as pansexual a few months ago.

I was confused if I was straight or gay, but I realized it wasn’t their “body parts” I preferred, as cheesy as it sounds, it was who they were, what kind of person someone is, is what I find attractive and not what’s down there.

My first experiences, such as first kiss, first love, and first sexual experience were with females, probably cause I grew up surrounded by females. I always felt attracted to women also more than I was attracted to men.

When I was just a “pre teen” I was watching Showtime’s “The L Word” and I seen women with other women and living a normal life, so I knew that liking women wasn’t a problem cause I seen on television that they live just like a straight person would.

I never hid that I was “Lesbian” and I say I was lesbian cause up until a few months ago I always identified as one.

Growing up, I always defended other homosexuals getting bullied, I always watched “The L word” and my parents haven’t said anything about it. We never discuss my sexuality, cause personally I don’t think there is anything to discuss.

I was fifteen when I had my first girlfriend, and her name was Krysta. I never hesitated or thought it was wrong, I just introduced her to my mom and some aunties, uncles and cousins. No one confronted my sexuality nor did they treat Krys any different than they would if she was a boy.

When we broke up, I was done with relationships cause I knew I was too young for them. When I turned 19 I decided I was ready, so I dated a girl name Erica, and I did the same and introduced her to my family, and they treated her no different than if she was a guy. My family were like “What do you plan on doing with your life? What can you offer our baby girl.” It didn’t “disgust” my family that I loved women. It’s something that was never brought up, and I don’t know if this is a “coming out” story, cause I don’t think I was ever in the closet.

My family is people are people, and you can’t change them and just because I was into women I wasn’t no special than I was than my straight sister.

I grew up in a open minded family, and I am blessed for that.

– CHEYENNE

For those who identify as LGBTQ, the process of ‘coming out’ is often difficult and painful but it can best be described as liberating. Last week, Vancity Buzz invited its LGBTQ readers to submit their own ‘coming out’ stories as a means of empowering and inspiring others who may be struggling with their own sexuality.

As these individuals in our stories experienced and eventually realized, retaining such deep secrets can cause much internal damage – only honesty can allow them to live life to its fullest potential, to be able to truly enjoy life.

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Image: Guillaume Paumier