Brianna Hildebrand Discusses Coming Out at a Young Age

At Love Fan Fest 2018, Brianna Hildebrand discusses coming out at a young age. The moderator asks her what it was like for her, after which she describes her process. I thought it was interesting to show you because it was quite a journey. You can choose to watch the video below this image or read the story. Hopefully, her story will offer you support or recognition.

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Brianna Hildebrand discusses coming out as bisexual

“I guess I did come out in sophomore year in high school.” For us living outside of the US, that’s around age 15-16. “Initially, I came out as bisexual. ‘This is me, living my life’ [audience laughs]. I came out, actually, online. Social media for life! I came out on Twitter. ‘What’s up, high school! I am bisexual, you know.’ [audience laughs]

Honestly, I hadn’t told my family or anyone else, aside from, you know, my friends. Then, my dad logged in on my Twitter because he was overprotective or something. And then, he saw the tweet. And I think my dad personally didn’t hold any grudges against me. He feels a certain way about it. He’s generally open and loving.”

Brianna Hildebrand discusses coming out to her family

“But he is the son of a Baptist preacher and his sister is a minister, so I had a lot of backlash from them after that. And it was really awkward and weird. [laughs]. It’s fine now though. We made up a couple of years ago, so it’s all good. But yeah, it was a hard situation. Especially with the family. Family stuff, that stuff’s hard to navigate. To just have someone related to you disapprove of who you are. That really blows.

But, you know, I got through it.  And honestly, I felt so much better, even with my family disapproving who I decide to love or whatever. Just being myself. I felt like I was hiding myself before that.”

Brianna Hildebrand discusses coming out as a lesbian

“A couple of years later after sophomore year, I came out again. I was like ‘Hey, I’m a lesbian, I think, actually.’ [audience laughs]. Which is, I don’t know. I spent so much time being like ‘What am I? Am I a lesbian? Am I bisexual? Who do I like? What’s happening with me?’ I think I focused on that so much that I stopped paying attention to what I was actually feeling for people around me and how I felt about myself.

Brianna now does not subscribe to any labels

So, at this point, I don’t subscribe to any labels. I do have a girlfriend; she’s over there but like… [audience turns to her and starts cheering, she laughs]. But yeah, I guess that’s pretty much it, the journey.

Our chat

I hope Brianna’s story does something for you in jour own journey. After her panel, I was able to talk to her for a few minutes. You can find the blog here and the vlog below. Please remember to subscribe to my channel if you want more queer content. As I am just starting out, I could really use your support!