By Dear Straight People,
In 2015, Dear Straight People launched the Out Of The Closet series – a collection of coming out stories featuring ‘out’ and proud Asians that aim to inspire and educate.
Since its launch, the stories from the Out Of The Closet series have inspired many, with a lot of the stories garnering thousands of shares and attracting widespread attention from across the world.
Here are 10 of the most read coming out stories of all time!
10. Jerome Alexander Chan
‘I was called gay, sissy, bapok when I was younger. There were a few times when I told myself to stop being so girly.’
First up on this list is the story of how Jerome Alexander Chan was bullied for being feminine during his younger years – something many other gay youths would be able to relate to.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/JeromeAlexander
9. Jack Lim
‘Walking on the street, homeless for the first time, I whispered to myself that I will turn this around and build a successful life out of this.’
Taking up the 9th spot is yet again, another shirtless hunk, proving that sex really does sell! But there is a lot more to Jack Lim than his hunky physique.
Outed against his will and forced to drop out of law school, the inspirational story of how Jack Lim beat the odds to become a Talent Business Partner in the world’s largest media agency was so powerful it was shared over 3,000 times on Facebook alone!
Read his inspiring tale here: bit.ly/JackLim
8. Marcus Goh
‘That incident made me feel that having a six-pack was the answer to being accepted and validated by the gay community, although I came to realise later that that is not entirely the case.’
Our popular feature on Marcus Goh, which focused on the intense social pressure that gay men face to stay lean, was perhaps our first coming out story to draw a split reaction.
With over 3,000 shares on Facebook alone, Marcus’ story generated widespread discussion on the phenomenon of the ‘Insta-gay’, particularly on twitter.
You can read his feature story here: http://bit.ly/MarcusGoh
7. Audi Khalid
‘To the young gay boys, don’t buy in to the culture of the popular gay scene. You are your own individual. ‘
In at #7 is the story of Audi Khalid, one of a small handful of openly gay Malays in Singapore.
The first Singaporean to be featured on the Out Of The Closet series, Audi’s story concentrated on his experience with Singapore’s gay scene: http://bit.ly/AudiKhalid
6. Xavier Shao Wei
‘It felt like hell broke loose, and my world crashed.’
Next up on the list is none other than the heartbreaking story of how Xzavier Shao Wei was outed against his will and forced out of his home to live through the kind of nightmare that haunts many gay youths!
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/ShaoWei
5. Patricia & Sham
Patricia: ‘I pray everyday for Sham and my safety. We only want to be safe and not to be harmed for being LGBT.‘
The fifth most read coming out story also happens to be the most read story of 2016.
Threatened with corrective rape and violently abused by their own family members, this inspiring couple managed to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to get married in October last year.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/PatandSham
4. Lokies Khan
‘It is true when they say that “it gets better”. You just gotta stick around.’
Lokies’ story of coming out while serving his National Service slowly climbed its way over the years to take the number 4 spot on this list.
Read his story here: bit.ly/LokiesKhan
3. Sean Foo
‘My aim has always been to tell stories that broaden hearts and open minds.’
The third most popular story of all time happens to belong to the founder of Dear Straight People himself, Mr Sean Foo.
After single-handedly running Dear Straight People for over 2 years and interviewing over 50 queer individuals, Sean Foo shared his own personal coming out story back in 2017.
His story went viral online, garnering over 2,000 shares and earning him features on Hornet, Millennials Of Singapore as well as other media outlets.
You can read his coming out story here: http://bit.ly/DSPSeanFoo
2. Dustin Sohn
‘ I eventually came to realise that I didn’t need to prove myself to anyone or earn anyone’s respect. I just needed to accept myself.’
The second most read story from the Out Of The Closet series is also the first story we ever published!
Dustin Sohn’s relatable tale of self-acceptance struck a chord with many and generated over 2,000 shares on Facebook within a matter of days. What made this feat truly remarkable was that back then, Dear Straight People didn’t even have a Facebook page and was barely scraping 100 views a day!
Read Dustin’s groundbreaking story here: bit.ly/DustinSohn
1. Gillyn & Jolyn
My dad kept tearing during the morning tea ceremony session. It was a really touching moment.
He said “If Mummy was here to witness it, she would be very happy.”
The most read coming out story of all time on Dear Straight People is the incredibly viral story of Gillyn & Jolyn, a lesbian couple who got married in Singapore with the full support of their family and friends.
With over 14,000 shares on Facebook alone, their touching love story was so popular that it earned them features in many other media outlets, with some publications translating their story to other languages so that more people will learn of their heartwarming tale.
But popularity aside, their story inspired many, and we’ve received a lot of feedback over the years from readers who cried after reading their story.
You can read their coming out story here: http://bit.ly/GillynJolynStory
Thanks For All The Support!
64 courageous individuals. 64 inspiring stories.
Dear Straight People would like to sincerely thank every single person that we’ve featured so far for taking time out of their busy schedules to share their stories with us.
But most of all, Dear Straight People would like to thank each and every one of you for all of the love and support that you’ve shown us. You can read the rest of the ‘Out Of The Closet’ series here.
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