(Photo: WTAE)
Will Portman, the son of GOP Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, opens up about his coming out story. His father recently changed his position on marriage equality, citing Will as one of the reason for the shift. In the essay he wrote for the Daily Yale News, Will talks about his father’s position as well as his own reluctance to make his personal life public.
One thing Will knew for sure was that he needed to come out to his parents.
“In February of freshman year, I decided to write a letter to my parents. I’d tried to come out to them in person over winter break but hadn’t been able to. So I found a cubicle in Bass Library one day and went to work. Once I had something I was satisfied with, I overnighted it to my parents and awaited a response.
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“They called as soon as they got the letter. They were surprised to learn I was gay, and full of questions, but absolutely rock-solid supportive. That was the beginning of the end of feeling ashamed about who I was.”
After clearing the first major hurdle, Will began coming out to his friends and family – finding more confidence along the way. “I got serious about coming out,” he wrote. “If anything, coming out seemed to strengthen my friendships and family relationships.”
As for his father, he talks about the conversations they had leading up to Sen. Portman’s announcement.
“We had decided that my dad would talk about having a gay son if he were to change his position on marriage equality. It would be the only honest way to explain his change of heart. Besides, the fact that I was gay would probably become public anyway. I had encouraged my dad all along to change his position, but it gave me pause to think that the one thing that nobody had known about me for so many years would suddenly become the one thing that everybody knew about me.”
Read the full story here.
yaoming
Doesn’t this guy have a laptop? I read the Yale News article and he says he had to sneak into the library to read a book about coming out and above he says he wrote his parents a letter and over-nighted it.
We have e-mail and the internet for those things now.
He also describes Yale as the “Gay Ivy”. I hadn’t heard that one before.
Best part of the story:
By the end of freshman year, I’d only come out to my parents, my brother and sister, and two friends. One day that summer, my best friend from high school and I were hanging out.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I finally said. “I’m gay.” He paused for a second, looked down at the ground, looked back up, and said, “Me too.”
LaTeesha
Laying the groundwork to join GOProud, no doubt. Whatever.
Dakotahgeo
THESE are the stories that warm my heart and bring the tears of joy! I couldn’t be happier for Will and his entire family! Every once in awhile people surface on this earth that possess common sense, empathy, support, i.e., God’s love!
Dakotahgeo, M.Div. Pastor/Chaplain!
Billysees
@Dakotahgeo: 3
Nice comment.
They are great stories of warmth and our human nature.