A personal announcement, emphatic thank-you, and cheers to Fedora.

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To my Gamers With Jobs friends, and the community at large:

I started writing this post a few weeks ago. Some recent developments, and a general unhappiness with my original post prompted a rewrite.

Some would call this a delicate, and personal, situation, and while I agree, I've felt less and less like I'm being genuine by keeping it personal and being delicate. And honesty is important to me.

To that end, I feel the need to get this out there. This weekend, at PenguinCon, oilypenguin, whom I've come to consider a trusted and valued friend, was the first to find out that I am gay. And thus, as the GWJ community has played a very large role in forming, changing, and developing many of the opinions and ideas that I have about life in general, very much for the better, I am choosing to inform you all. I am a happier person today than I have ever been, and a great deal of the credit is due to the strength and kindness of the community that Certis and Elysium have built here.

This was not a decision that I came to. This was the end of a very long, and meticulously maintained period of denial.

To Brian (oilypenguin), your support was key to me gaining the courage to move forward with this. I can't express the gratitude I feel in words. Thank you.

Also, Fedora has something to share.

UPDATE: The big event happens.

Be proud of yourself! We are!

I don't feel like gratz is the right thing to say, but what the hell. Gratz! I'm happy to hear you're happy, and yay us too!

This is great to hear NSMike, way to go!

Really glad you were able to get past that denial, and that you feel comfortable enough to share that here, NSMike.

I'm glad that someone who I've counted a friend through years of TF2 blood feuding is able to be happier with himself.
Go team Mike.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Be proud of yourself! We are!

+1!

Well, we talked about this. I'm just glad that we could provide friendships and an environment that helped. I couldn't be happier that you've found yourself.

As always Mike, you need anything, so say the word. You haven't found yourself on an easy road but you've got friends to help.

Hear, hear! Good for you, Mike!

Walk tall and proud, man.

Be who you are.

Good for you, Mike. While I don't know how much or little it might help, feel free to shoot me a PM if you need someone to lend an ear about stuff.

Maybe...just maybe... you wont be so grumpy?

Congratulations, Mike! I hope your life is filled with joy from here on!

I'm glad to hear that you've gotten the courage to affirm what you know about yourself to the community at large. You've leveled up! *ding*

You'll always be part of Team Green, Mike, and I don't even care if TF2 doesn't have one. Maybe the Lady K can photoshop an avatar for it.

Being comfortable with yourself is awesome. And keep in mind, you don't have to be as outrageous as Cheeto unless you really want to be, although even then I'm not sure that's possible to pull off.

Wow. That's huge. I cannot imagine the courage it took to write this post. But as Oily said, you have a great community here that embraces you regardless of your disposition.

I wish you the best of luck and all the happiness in the world on this new road!

Congrats on the courage to admit who you are to yourself and others, even if it is fake internet Matrix people (except me, I'm completely real).

I think that, in this instance, I can safely speak for the community at large and the PenguinCon group specifically when I say that we are honored to be trusted in this way and we are honored to count you as one of our own. If you need anything, you know about 6 ways to get in touch.

ranalin wrote:

Maybe...just maybe... you wont be so grumpy?

Bwahaha. Nice, ranalin.

I'm glad to hear you've been able to truly realize and accept who you are, and that you are comfortable with sharing it with the rest of us.

Best wishes for a bright and happy future.

We're all here for you, Mike.

NSMike wrote:

I am a happier person today than I have ever been

Can't say I'm plugged in enough these days to know enough. That right there though? That's my main takeaway -- that's the important part.

I wish you continued happiness Mike, in all things, on whatever path you have chosen.

You know it's funny this made me think about another highschool friend of mine who years later at a highschool reunion came up to me (at the prompting of one of her friends) and came out to me, wanting to get it off her chest i suppose since i wasn't the first person she had come out too just one of her old friends who she had lost touch with and you know what my response was.

"....mkay so?" And what was interesting is she took it exactly like i meant it, not as anything bad but more like "okay your gay and this affects my opinion of you how?" She was so relieved that i didn't think any less of her 5 minutes before when i thought she was straight (incidentally i had a huge crush on her in highschool) But it was a good thing for her emotionally and was really nice to be that trusted.

So Mike well done on figuring out who you are and being happy with yourself, but this doesn't change the fact that the next time i manage to play some TF2 i'm going to frag the hell out of you... if i can... cause i suck... and you have many hours of practice... you know what... I'm just going to wait till you play a game i'm good at so i can kick your ass there!

It's only up from here. I had a friend that struggled with his sexuality for years, making himself miserable with fear of guilt and confusion, etc.
Glad to hear you've made the step! And, as toph513 said, it's humbling to be part of a community where people feel comfortable sharing such things.

Good on you, man! Good luck moving forward with a freer heart and a lighter step!

LarryC wrote:

You've leveled up! *ding*

+1

I am glad we are part of a community that warmly accepts everyone for who they choose to be in this life.

ranalin wrote:

Maybe...just maybe... you wont be so grumpy?

Don't count on it. Just because it's you.

I hope you'll all forgive me if I don't have much to add and just absorb the vibes.

Absorb away good man. Well done.

That's awesome. I love this place! *teary smiley face*

Enjoy, Mike!

I can't say it any better than everyone else here has, but I'm happy for you, and here's to you being happier going forward.

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