This month is National LGBTQ+ Pride month. In honor of that, here are the top 10 things I want people who are afraid to come out to know.

1. It might be hard, but I promise it'll be worth it.

As someone who didn't come out until they were in their twenties, I get why you may be afraid to. It may be scary to say it out loud but once you tell people, it will be the biggest burden lifted off of you. I have never felt more confident or comfortable in my own skin since I've become so open about my sexuality. It's empowering. Start with people you trust, maybe a best friend, and they can be your support to tell others, such as your parents.

2. You have a community who supports you no matter what.

The LGBTQ+ community is pretty fantastic, you just have to know it exists. There are communities within schools, online, and in your city. There are so many people going through what you are going through and everyone is there to help and support you. There is so much stigma surrounding the LGBTQ+ community that anyone who is a part of it wants to be there for you because they know how hard coming out can be.

3. If people don't accept you, you don't need them in your life.

If you come out to someone and they don't accept you and love you because of that, then I promise you, you do not need them around. I am one of the lucky ones who has the love and support of their family and best friends, but not everyone is so lucky. I have met people who don't want to associate with me just because I am gay. I used to get super hurt about it but then I realized why would I want to spend time with someone if I had to change who I was for them to like me? You will meet so many fantastic people in your life that will be there for you regardless of gender or sexual identity and those are the people you want in your life.

4. People will ask you a lot of questions.

How? Why? Are you sure? People ask questions when they don't understand or are uneducated about a topic. That's fine, we all ask questions when we want to know more. So take the questions as they come and know that not all of them require you to respond. Some stuff is not others business, but sometimes people will ask a lot and it's just them wanting to know more.

5. Be prepared for your confidence to go up.

Depending on your situation, it might take some time, but everyone I know has said how much more confident they feel after coming out. You will no longer have to live with this huge secret or live a double life. You can be out and be free to truly express yourself and that will be the most incredible feeling. One of my closest friends just recently came out and he said he can't believe how much more confident he is already in himself. It really is amazing.

6. Pride events can be pretty moving.

When I first came out it was super important for me to go to my local Pride events because I wanted to know and see I wasn't alone. Yes, some cities don't have the greatest events or organization to it and it might seem kind of lame, but if you go and see so many other people locally that are out and proud, it's a pretty powerful statement.

7. Rainbows are pretty fantastic, but it won't always be rainbows and butterflies.

Personally, I do own rainbow shirts, and my computer keyboard I'm currently typing on is rainbow and I have a lot of pride things. There is so much happiness that comes with being out, but I want you to know you will still have really hard days and that's okay. Sometimes I get told comments that are incredibly annoying and they make me shut down. Some days I wish I could just be happy dating a guy so I could kiss him in public and not get a million people staring at me like we're in a zoo, or so that I wouldn't get asked "Well how would you have kids?" or so I could bring them to family holidays without having to double check if everyone would feel comfortable with that. Some things will be hard, but I feel more adapted to dealing with things, knowing that I'm being true to myself now.

8. Some jokes people will make are actually super funny.

You'll learn to laugh about a lot of things people say or joke about. For example, I was in the car with my friends and was driving them somewhere I didn't know how to get to. I just asked them, "Do I just keep going straight?" and they reply with, "Yeah, we know that's hard for you but stay straight for a while." It's pretty awesome when your friends love you and accept you so much they can make jokes. Or when people jokingly ask, "So how many flannels you own?" and I just reply, "14, actually," the look on their face is awesome. They thought they were being funny, joking with me, but I seriously own that many flannels. You will learn to embrace things.

9. You will meet and bond with a lot of new people.

I have met so many new amazing people since coming out. A lot of people will say, "Oh you're gay? This is my friend so-and-so, they're gay too, you should be friends," which is kind of annoying sometimes, but I've met a lot of cool people that way. It is a myth that all gay people know each other, but it's said to be true. Probably because we keep getting introduced by our friends.

10. Life is a journey, don't waste another second of it not being who you truly are!

I wish I didn't waste as much time suppressing feelings or being scared to be public about it. I'm not saying you need to make a banner or scream to everyone in the hallways at school and come out in some big dramatic way. Being dramatic is kind of something I excel in sometimes, but I didn't come out to everyone by putting on some big production. I still don't run around screaming I'm gay to people I meet, but it is a huge identifier for me and I am not afraid to go around telling people anymore. Writing about it is freeing enough for me, and it's my way of coming out every time I post something like this. I don't want anyone to be afraid of being who they truly are. I don't know everyone who will be reading this but I can promise you three things: you are beautiful, you are loved, and you should be so proud of yourself.