When I was around 12-13 years old, I planned to come out to my family that I was Bisexual, I was expecting that there was going to be a lot of shock and questioning me if I was sure or if it was a phase. I was expecting my brother to think that I was overthinking it and I was just curious. I thought my mother would say that I don’t know what I’m talking about and that I am just confused. I believed that my father would blame my friends and my interest groups for “turning” me into a “queer”.
Dear God was I so wrong…
When I finally came out to my family, it seemed like I was telling them old news, information that they already know. My Mother gave me this smug look saying “Oh? is that so? I’m glad you finally noticed.” and continued to watch Big Bang Theory. My brother stated, “Oh really? Cool, hey which of these 2 girls do you think is hotter?” as he showed me a pic of 2 models in bikinis. And when I told my Father, (it was when we were driving home) he was not shocked at all and then asked me “Neat, you want chicken nuggets with your cheeseburger when we get to Wendy’s?”.
I don’t know why but at the time, I was so confused why my family didn’t shame me and were so excepting of me “coming out” (even if the closet was apparently made of glass). Maybe it’s because I heard so many horror tales of “coming out” stories going wrong and children being shamed and ostracize from/by their families, that I had an unconscious fear yet, expectation that there would be a push back from my own family when I “came out”. Was it because I felt guilty since there were so many people who were shamed by their family when they “came out”, when my family was so excepting of who I was (even if they apparently knew I was Bisexual before I did)? Did I unconsciously, deep down, wanted to start drama in my family? I don’t know why I felt ashamed that my family loves me for who I am and that I don’t have to pretend and be someone else, and maybe I will never know.
Unruly Bodies 
First, I want to say your family seems hilarious and super cool lol.
Second, I am so happy your family was so accepting of your sexuality and choices. I think the fact that you were so anxious to tell your family in the first place says a lot. It must have been so hard to muster the courage to even tell them in the first place, and so the fact they had a positive reaction must have been so relieving. But I also understand why your feelings were so conflicted and you felt guilty. I don’t think you should feel guilty that your family was so accepting, if anything cherish it. And I hope one day you will be able to better understand your feelings. Regardless, I am sure there will be other people who may not be as accepting of you, so just always remember you have your family as your support and so many other people. 🙂
I had a similar experience coming out to my parents! I expected a lot more kerfuffle when I told them I was non-binary but they basically expressed that they had sensed something LGBT about me for a while and that they weren’t surprised. I think it is normal to expect bad reactions when coming because being queer is an outsider identity in almost any family. I also understand feeling guilty for having it easier than other people, but I don’t think this is a justified feeling. As long as you use your energy to make others feel accepted, then you are doing all you can be asked to create a world more accepting of queer people.
Your family sounds fantastic and I’m so happy for you! I think there is this idea that “coming out” can only be doom and gloom and that’s so far from the truth it’s honestly a little absurd! There is unfortunately so many coming out horror stories (my own story being one of them), but there are also coming out stories where family understands or they’re okay with it. That doesn’t mean you’re somehow less than people who did go through a horror story! I’m sorry you were made to feel like you should be ashamed that you’re family supported you, I know there’s a lot of people who think that life has to be the sad Olympics where you try to one up everyone with the most depressing life story, but that’s BS. Pain and suffering doesn’t make you somehow better or stronger than those who didn’t (I blame this culture of “suffer and the pain makes you better”), if I could hope for anything for others, it’d be that no person has to go through a coming out horror story. Everyone deserves to feel loved by the people who raised them and brought them into the world (it’s literally the bare minimum, a prerequisite). Never, ever feel ashamed that you are loved and supported.
I think it is so common in the media to see negative reactions when someone comes out to their family. Maybe that is a reason you expected the same reaction? You should never have to feel ashamed being your true, authentic self, and I am so so glad you weren’t shamed by your family. I am also glad to see someone else’s comment about having a similar experience with their own family! 🙂
What a great experience for you, it sounds like you have a great family. When I came out I expected so much shit from my mostly very Christian family. I instead was greeted with love and acceptance, and of course a few snide comments but that’s life. We are both so lucky to have these loving and accepting families, as some families’ reactions are less than loving. I am so happy you get to live your true life!
It is so refreshing to read such a positive coming-out story. Coming out is hard, even when it ends up getting a positive reaction. We are so conditioned to think it will be negative that we brace for the worse. Everyone should be this loved and supported. Hopefully, one day soon, there will not be a need to “come out.”
When I initially saw the title of your post, I thought it would be a reference to the Glass Menagerie where the characters struggle to accept reality. It is like how you mentioned expecting to be another horror story for coming out, I was expecting another tragedy. We are braced for impact because society has otherized so much anything not heteronormative. I am glad you could find some liberation in this lukewarm response and their openness for your sexuality. Hopefully the world can follow suit.