Happy ‘Coming out’ day!

On National Coming Out Day, Hyderabad Times raises a toast to the spirit of 'Out'ober and brings you some inspiring stories of those who chose to come out of the closet​.
I slept with a hooker to be sure I am gay
Coming out is a complicated process; and the toughest part is coming out to yourself. Like any other gay boy, I too went through all those stages of confusion.First, I “blamed” my homosexuality on the sexual abuse I went through as a child. Later, I realised that it's just a myth. Then I went through a phase of dilemma — I kept doubting whether I was gay or straight, because I felt I liked women too. I had to live with these doubts for a good part of my life as a young adult. Finally, at the age of 24, I decided to make sure if was gay. I decided to put an end to my confusion by figuring out if I can have sex with a woman. I went to Singapore where I hooked up with a hot sex worker. And I didn't 'stand' a chance. In fact, she asked me, 'are you gay? I was like, 'no, no'. Then, I closed my eyes and fantasised about John Abraham. Only then did I get excited. That day I 'came out' to myself honestly and said, 'You are gay, Harish'. — Harish Iyer, activist
My family threw an 'acceptance party' for me
My coming out to family coincided with coming out to the world, though I didn't plan it that way. I was on stage for my play Mudra, that tells the story of a gay boy coming out to his mother, and my parents were in the audience. Soon after the play, when people came to speak to me, I heard a voice from behind saying, 'All that was real...' I turned back to see my mom stand there with a big smile on her face and she hugged me. I am the only son and I could have been pressurised to get married and carry on the family line, but except one time when my mom mentioned marriage to me when I was 32, the topic was never discussed. Two years back, when Section 377 came back to haunt us, I feared my family wouldn't accept me again, especially because everyone had stopped speaking to me. Little did I know that a surprise 'family acceptance' party was planned for me on my birthday. All my uncles, aunties, nephews, nieces everyone threw a party together for my niece (we share the same birth date) and me. That's etched in my memory. — Ganesh Nallari, designer
It's liberating to come out to the world
I was already out to my friends and family, but coming out to the world was different. I decided to do it on the reality show Connected Hum Tum by documenting one year of my life. Since mine was a same sex relationship, I was scared especially because my partner wasn't out. So, I videographed her without showing her face and her voice was also changed. I was prepared for the worst and feared for the safety of my family, partner and myself. But when the episode was aired, it was accepted so well. I felt so liberated. Except one hate mail that I received, the rest have all been supportive. In fact, people hailed it and began asking for advice. I am glad I did it. Today, I can freely be who I am without caring about anything. And as for my partner, she came out to her father after the episode, and we are stronger together today. — Sonal Giani, LGBT activist
Coming out is a gradual process
Coming out to your family is a double-edged sword. I came out to my dad about two years back. It was not easy. My dad was disappointed, I don't think he has still come to terms with it. Coming out to the family actually doesn't stop with that one day, it's a gradual process. And that's why the timing of when you are coming out to family is important. When you are prepared to face the worst, with the hope for the best, that's when you should tell your family who you are. — Navadeep, transgender queer activist