CatersComing out takes a huge amount of bravery for any LGBTQ+ individual, and no two stories are the same.
And for one young man from Pennsylvania, his coming out story was extremely sweet, in all senses of the word.
Having worked up the courage, 22-year-old Colin Field from Philadelphia decided to come out to his mum Alexandra on Christmas morning, 2015. And he decided a box of doughnuts would help make the conversation run a little smoother.
You can find out more about Colin and Alexandra’s story in the following clip:
Four years on, and a box of doughnuts has become a fond Christmas morning tradition between Colin and his mum, with that initial nerve-wracking conversation long behind them.
Each December 25, Colin will hand Alexandra, 53, a big box of jelly doughnuts and Boston cremes, filming their interaction every time.
Without fail, Colin will deliver the annual treat with another confirmation that he is gay, to which his mum will reply that she knows.
This yuletide, Colin shook his familiar declaration up a bit, leaving Alexandra laughing away with his wonderfully punny announcement, ‘I donut like girls’.
CatersAccording to a 2013 survey of LGBTQ+ Americans from Pew Social Trends, 20 is the median age at which a person will open up about their sexuality with a family member or close friend.
The approximate 59% of individuals who have told their mum about their sexual orientation or gender identity and 65% who have told their dad reported it had been difficult to share this information.
However, out of those who told their mums, the vast majority said it either made the relationship stronger (39%) or didn’t alter the relationship at all (46%). A similar-sized majority reported coming out to their father hadn’t damaged their relationship.
CatersIn 2018, statistics from Bespoke Surgical revealed the age of coming out differed when it came to different age groups.
Although the median age of coming out was found to be 20.6, the average age for millennials was 18.1, a significant four to five years earlier than Generation Xers (23.0) and Baby Boomers (23.4).
These stats would suggest the younger generation are more comfortable opening up about their sexuality than the generations before them. However, it will still take a millennial around two to three years to share their sexuality with others after acknowledging it for themselves.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 9am until 9pm Monday to Friday, and 10am until 6pm Saturday, or email [email protected].
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.