Just adding a short comment. Congrats on having the courage to come out in the religious environment. I, too, grew up in private school (and church and religious home). Just wanted to say thanks for posting. I'm heading that way of coming out myself in this environment so it's nice to know you were able to do it and it didn't explode your family/personal world. Thank you again!
You are amazing Andy! It is so nice to see someone from Wisconsin on youtube! Go Wisconsin youtubers! Well, not wisconsinites anymore, but close. Your story is inspiring.
coming out is a taking courage! I lost most of my childhood friends but I found the TRUE friends when I came out and I am happy for the first time in my life to be able to be what i am and do what I want.
@smithmen being a lot more confident in myself is really what started motivating me. Being in a serious relationship was also a pretty great motivator.
@smithmen i always thought i would wait to tell my parents until i was in a serious relationship. i realized that i should come out when i felt ready, relationship or not. i think one of the best pros for coming out before is that your family will be better adjusted to it (if they do have an issue with it) and more likely to accept and be warm to your boyfriend. but there are definitely many sides to this coin.
You said something in the video that I think sums it up. Coming out was not easy. Anything worthwhile will never be easy. I applaud your coming out. I do have one question; musical theater, The Music Man and A Good Many Charlie Brown and they didn't know you were gay already? I guess denial isn't just a river.
Thanks for sharing this Andy! I think you and I have nearly identical backgrounds: Christian family, Christian schools, being taught that being gay is incompatible with being a Christian. At 24, I'm finally becoming comfortable with myself as a gay man. I've told a few close friends, had one relationship, and now exploring the gay "scene" in Philly :) As for now, I don't see myself telling my parents until I have a reason: aka a serious bf. Is this what finally motivated you to come out?
It's been so interesting seeing how many negative comments/emails have been left in the past few weeks as compared to usual. The fact of the matter is this: while I don't expect everyone to share and support me and who I am what I do expect is respect like anyone else. Please feel free to continue to share and disagree but please be respectful of me and everyone else who watches and reads these comments.
@thewildcat Ciao Bello! Andy "Amico Mio" , though a follower of Christ now, I wasn't raised so! But Bobby Griffiths' (Prayers for Bobby) old lover/boyfriend "Blaine" here, is quite familiar with the "Christian" upbringing you describe, and all that it can imply! That's why he, that is I am so darn proud of you! It does gladden my heart to know that you are fully cogniscent of the fact, that you are by no means "Cast off from G-Ds love"! Con L'Amore e Molti Baci! Blaine
Although my comment may seem uber conservative and ill-educated, I am an UCLA Graduate and have read, listened, and pondered long enough to see the changes in society. Real change for any Christian who has same-sex desires is the change of identity. A sinner saved by God's Grace finds their identity by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I am not a gay Christian.I am a Christian saved from sin, death, and given eternal life.Disagree if you will,but claiming to be a Christian and gay is dangerous.
In the Bible, God says he loves us no matter what and wants us to be HAPPY. You can't be happy if you're forced to be someone your not. If you're gay, you're gay. That's you. Also... Love is love, doesn't matter who it's with. Boy or girl, black, white, brown, yellow. It doesn't matter, when you know its love, YOU KNOW ITS LOVE. Nothing can change it. I think that when you love someone... you shouldn't be limited to who. Because love is an amazing thing, you love who you love.. and you're you.:D
@Gameplay999, let me help you understand. Nobody "chooses" innate characteristics like skin color, sexual orientation, or the hand you write with. These components are hard-wired into you, & can neither be chosen nor changed. The only "choice" involved, is accepting yourself the way you are (black, gay, left-handed, or caving in to absurd man-made prejudices, & falling for the myths that being how God made you is "wrong". Why listen to ignorant men? Trust God's will for your life. He knows best.
People are jerks my aunt told me Jesus is going to send all of us gays to hell, but I know deep down Jesus loves me for who I am, why else would he make each and everyone of us different? I do agree with you about the Christian Faith as I am a Christian.
@mrmark262 Why is it any of your business? It shouldn't matter why someone choses their own gender over the opposite! If you must know, gay people prefer their own gender because they were born that way! They just have the same feeling towards their gender as you do towards women. Nothing wrong with that. It isn't harming you, so leave us alone.
@Gameplay999 no, the foundation of chritianity is jesus christ and he in his divine wisdom said nothing about homosexuality but a great deal to say about judgement and for one mortal to condemn another mortal to hell is asin against the holy spirit and is unforgiveable
@Gameplay999, let me help you understand. God is the one who creates, loves & keeps homosexuality right here on His planet, as part of His divine plan for mankind. It's not God who calls gays an "abomination"; that mistake is made by ignorant and/or indoctrinated men who mistakenly allow the long-dead, human authors of the Bible tell them what to think. God makes His approval of gays quite clear by continuing to populate the world with them. Why accept uneducated men's bigotry over His love?
@Gameplay999 claims, "The Bible is God's word, divinely inspired" Then God sure made A LOT of mistakes, and had little or no knowledge about His own creations, LOL.
I will not swear at you....but why were women put on this earth?? How can a man desire another man when a woman is there? The thought of another man poking me is messed up!!
![My [Gay Mormon] COMING OUT Story - Noah Jefferies](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ah5uihXzMtg/mqdefault.jpg)
![My [Gay Mormon] COMING OUT Story - Noah Jefferies](/img/tr.png)
Just adding a short comment. Congrats on having the courage to come out in the religious environment. I, too, grew up in private school (and church and religious home). Just wanted to say thanks for posting. I'm heading that way of coming out myself in this environment so it's nice to know you were able to do it and it didn't explode your family/personal world. Thank you again!
Thank you so much for posting this video. Your story is quite encouraging to those of us who haven't come out yet.
You are amazing Andy! It is so nice to see someone from Wisconsin on youtube! Go Wisconsin youtubers! Well, not wisconsinites anymore, but close. Your story is inspiring.
coming out is a taking courage! I lost most of my childhood friends but I found the TRUE friends when I came out and I am happy for the first time in my life to be able to be what i am and do what I want.
@smithmen being a lot more confident in myself is really what started motivating me. Being in a serious relationship was also a pretty great motivator.
Thanks for sharing your story man.
I am also a Christian and I must say I am proud of you
Great Comment!
Thanks for posting!
@smithmen i always thought i would wait to tell my parents until i was in a serious relationship. i realized that i should come out when i felt ready, relationship or not. i think one of the best pros for coming out before is that your family will be better adjusted to it (if they do have an issue with it) and more likely to accept and be warm to your boyfriend. but there are definitely many sides to this coin.
You said something in the video that I think sums it up. Coming out was not easy. Anything worthwhile will never be easy. I applaud your coming out.
I do have one question; musical theater, The Music Man and A Good Many Charlie Brown and they didn't know you were gay already? I guess denial isn't just a river.
@thewildcat Ugh. SO its completely out of season then. SO jealous. I've been looking for one for a while, and I can never find a descent one.
Thanks for sharing this Andy! I think you and I have nearly identical backgrounds: Christian family, Christian schools, being taught that being gay is incompatible with being a Christian. At 24, I'm finally becoming comfortable with myself as a gay man. I've told a few close friends, had one relationship, and now exploring the gay "scene" in Philly :) As for now, I don't see myself telling my parents until I have a reason: aka a serious bf. Is this what finally motivated you to come out?
I'm straight but I would really have a problem if one of my kids came out to me as a christian, it would make me wonder where I failed them
This is going to seem like I didn't care, but I really did.
I just have to know, though. where did you get your sleeveless hood-ie from?
Thank you for sharing that.
It's been so interesting seeing how many negative comments/emails have been left in the past few weeks as compared to usual. The fact of the matter is this: while I don't expect everyone to share and support me and who I am what I do expect is respect like anyone else. Please feel free to continue to share and disagree but please be respectful of me and everyone else who watches and reads these comments.
@AdamKaoru ...lots of parents love to play the drama card and to judge...my parents did and therefore we could never talk about it.
@Jayyycubbb From express last summer. Glad you liked it :)
what religious affiliation did you attend
@thewildcat
Ciao Bello!
Andy "Amico Mio" , though a follower of Christ now, I wasn't raised so! But Bobby Griffiths' (Prayers for Bobby) old lover/boyfriend "Blaine" here, is quite familiar with the "Christian" upbringing you describe, and all that it can imply! That's why he, that is I am so darn proud of you! It does gladden my heart to know that you are fully cogniscent of the fact, that you are by no means "Cast off from G-Ds love"!
Con L'Amore e Molti Baci!
Blaine
Although my comment may seem uber conservative and ill-educated, I am an UCLA Graduate and have read, listened, and pondered long enough to see the changes in society. Real change for any Christian who has same-sex desires is the change of identity. A sinner saved by God's Grace finds their identity by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I am not a gay Christian.I am a Christian saved from sin, death, and given eternal life.Disagree if you will,but claiming to be a Christian and gay is dangerous.
In the Bible, God says he loves us no matter what and wants us to be HAPPY. You can't be happy if you're forced to be someone your not. If you're gay, you're gay. That's you. Also... Love is love, doesn't matter who it's with. Boy or girl, black, white, brown, yellow. It doesn't matter, when you know its love, YOU KNOW ITS LOVE. Nothing can change it. I think that when you love someone... you shouldn't be limited to who. Because love is an amazing thing, you love who you love.. and you're you.:D
@Gameplay999, let me help you understand. Nobody "chooses" innate characteristics like skin color, sexual orientation, or the hand you write with. These components are hard-wired into you, & can neither be chosen nor changed. The only "choice" involved, is accepting yourself the way you are (black, gay, left-handed, or caving in to absurd man-made prejudices, & falling for the myths that being how God made you is "wrong". Why listen to ignorant men? Trust God's will for your life. He knows best.
So proud of you! I'm gay and catholic :] and very proud!
People are jerks my aunt told me Jesus is going to send all of us gays to hell, but I know deep down Jesus loves me for who I am, why else would he make each and everyone of us different? I do agree with you about the Christian Faith as I am a Christian.
LOL, you moved to Missouri! Not exactly the cosmopolitan centre of liberalism in Amrika!
that's when one realizes one's sexuality in junior high school.
@mrmark262 Why is it any of your business? It shouldn't matter why someone choses their own gender over the opposite! If you must know, gay people prefer their own gender because they were born that way! They just have the same feeling towards their gender as you do towards women. Nothing wrong with that. It isn't harming you, so leave us alone.
@Gameplay999 no, the foundation of chritianity is jesus christ and he in his divine wisdom said nothing about homosexuality but a great deal to say about judgement and for one mortal to condemn another mortal to hell is asin against the holy spirit and is unforgiveable
@mrmark262 I choose to believe that women are on this earth for many other reasons that to be desired by man
@Gameplay999, let me help you understand. God is the one who creates, loves & keeps homosexuality right here on His planet, as part of His divine plan for mankind. It's not God who calls gays an "abomination"; that mistake is made by ignorant and/or indoctrinated men who mistakenly allow the long-dead, human authors of the Bible tell them what to think. God makes His approval of gays quite clear by continuing to populate the world with them. Why accept uneducated men's bigotry over His love?
you sound like you're reading off something
@Gameplay999 claims, "The Bible is God's word, divinely inspired"
Then God sure made A LOT of mistakes, and had little or no knowledge about His own creations, LOL.
I will not swear at you....but why were women put on this earth?? How can a man desire another man when a woman is there? The thought of another man poking me is messed up!!
that was so boring...
BEING GAY AND KNOWING THE BIBLE HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE BIBLE SAYING WHAT YOU DO IS AN ABONINATION, HOW DO YOU COME TO PEACE WITH THAT?