Gay Middletown man shares "Coming Out" story hopes to inspire others
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Michele Fiore
7:38 AM, Nov 17, 2016
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MIDDLETOWN- There is sadness among the LGBT community after learning the Florida gunman may have been questioning his own sexual preference. A gay Middletown man shared his personal coming out story with us in the hope it may help someone else.
Jeremy Roberson says he knows the sad and lonely life that Orlando shooter Omar Mateen may have been living. Harris was just 13 when he first knew his personal truth and knew better than to tell his parents.
“The way they talked about LGBT people was not in a favorable light," said Roberson.
Mom Texted With Son During Orlando Massacre
Luckily for Roberson, he found an LGBT group for youth in a Pokémon group where he grew up.
“It was really scary for me to go. I didn’t want people to know I was going. I didn’t want people to see me going there because I still wasn’t ready to come out," said Roberson.
In Middletown, young men and women can turn to the offices of Diverse and Resilient where Roberson now secretly works on the side, or to the LGBT community center. Both offer services to help the LGBT community lead a healthy and open lifestyle.
‘We know that when people are in an environment where they’re not accepted, they’re very likely to experience health disparities that others might not," said Mark Silva of Diverse and Resilient.
‘If they’re struggling with the process of coming out, if they want a place where they can just talk about it, that the Middletown LGBT community center is a place where they can do that," said Debra Trakel of the LGBT Community Center.
Roberson says getting acceptance has been a journey, and his family and friends have come a long way.
“When they come to Middletown to visit, they know they’re coming to visit both uncles and I really love that. I love that next generation of my family is already doing better than the generation that I was from," said Roberson.
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