By Kate Jameson
As a bisexual teenager, I am currently out to three people, all of whom are among my closest friends. My friend Ezri, who is straight and has never questioned her sexuality, was so understanding when I began to question mine. I never felt under any pressure to pretend to be someone I was not. She never had a bad reaction when I rambled about how much I loved Jared Padalecki or talked about my all-consuming crush on Sophie Turner. She just smiled and didn’t bat an eyelid, as though my crushes were simply to be expected. She never asked me questions about it until I was comfortable.
One day she asked me:
“Are you bi or pan?”
The question stumped me for a second, as I was caught a little off guard as we were walking up a hill, but there was a smile in her eyes that made me think: this is okay.
I replied, “Bisexual,” and she smiled. That was that. We just continued our walk and our conversation about our new physics homework.
To have that kind of support as I began to think about coming out to a wider audience meant more than anything in the world to me. Before we ever talked about my sexuality, I knew I was free to talk about boy crushes and girl crushes in front of her—something I didn’t feel comfortable talking about around anyone.
Neither of us remember the origin of this term of endearment, but she calls me “bisexual pancake.” I like to hear the word “bisexual” used when she describes me because even though I’m mostly in the closet, I’m not ashamed of my sexuality. I’m just not ready to come out to more people yet, and that’s okay.
Coming out can be a scary prospect but because I have her as a friend, the seemingly monumental task of telling my parents feels a bit less daunting. Thank you, Ezri!
Kate is a British student and an aspiring poet and writer who is hoping to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at her school next year when she turns 16.