https://twitter.com/ginaslife3/status/744939874784993280
For LGBT teens, coming out to their parents can be a tense moment. But that’s not the way 16-year-old Californian kid Gina wanted to go about it. She wanted to avoid “a deep, sit-down conversation” and add a little levity into the situation, so she came out to her folks via Splash Mountain’s ride cam.
Gina knew she was gay for a year before she decided to come out. She told the Huffington Post that she chose Disneyland because it’s “a place where anyone can be themselves and be accepted for it.” As you can see in Gina’s tweet, she sat behind her mom with a sign that read “I’m Gay!”, pulling it out during the drop that ends the ride and forever immortalizing it in a souvenir photo.
“I love funny ride photos, so I figured I could make the sign just in case I decided to go for it, and I did,” she told BuzzFeed.
Gina said that her friends and family have been “super accepting,” but she’s also getting a lot of love from strangers on the internet. Her tweet of the photo has been retweeted over 5,000 times and Gina said she’s been overwhelmed by the reaction.
“People have responded saying I’ve inspired them to do the same thing, which I think is the coolest part of it all,” she told BuzzFeed.
She also offered advice to other teens who are looking to come out to their families.
“It’s an overwhelming process, so just make sure you’re comfortable with who you are and make sure you’re prepared for questions or reactions people may have,” she said in an interview with HuffPo. “I also know it’s sometimes hard to tell if you’re ready or not, so just be sure to give yourself time to really think about if you’re prepared.”
(Via BuzzFeed and the Huffington Post)
