I came out to my family when I was 26 years old. Even though I was certain they'd be loving and supportive once they wrapped their heads around the news, for some reason, the idea of saying "I'm gay" was terrifying.
It was something about the word itself: what it meant and how it made people feel. It scared me, and I knew things would change once I said it out loud.
I pushed through it, and after some tears and laughs, it was done. Once I got those first few conversations under my belt, I began telling pretty much everyone I knew.
Across the board, I was met with love and kindness and curiosity. Lots of funny and interesting questions in particular from my college buddies.