Steve Kornacki Comes Out

Steve Kornacki, news editor for Salon, has come out as a gay man, in an article written for the site in which he explains the hows and the whys, as well as the why nots, of his coming to terms with being gay.

I’ve read stories from people who say they always knew they were attracted to the same sex, or that they figured it out at a young age. I’m not one of them. I had practically no idea until one night in my sophomore year of high school. I was at a basketball game, and the guys around me started pointing out cheerleaders from the other team they thought were hot. I began to wonder: Why wasn’t I looking at the cheerleaders that way? And why was I sometimes noticing the other team’s players instead? My heart rate quickened and my mind spun until a thought surfaced: This is what it means to be gay.

Even though we all go through our own process of coming to terms with being gay, we all have had that moment when we realize what it is we're feeling, and how that makes us different, and how we move on from there.

Kornacki went through all those emotions, from personal acceptance to professional denial, from keeping that secret to letting everyone know. From living in secret, and finding an online outlet, to embracing himself as a gay man. He went from telling himself he'd some out when...he was older....in a relationship....in love, until he realized he might never really have those things if he didn't come out first. 

I junked the old cop-out about waiting until I was in a relationship to come clean, and one by one I sat down with friends, family and co-workers and let them know the real story about me. Some conversations were quick, others were more involved, but all of them felt good. One buddy listened to me, cracked a few jokes, and then started talking about football. “You’re still going to be the Steve who’s obsessed with random teams, right?” he asked. Of course.

And that’s the point. This isn’t the start of some brand-new life. I actually like a lot about the one I already have. But now the fear and paranoia are gone. And my life can finally make sense to the people who matter to me.

Read the entire article, which might have penned by any gay man or woman coming to terms with their orientation. It's funny and sweet and a little heartbreaking.

But, in the end, Steve Kornacki came out, and for that he receives a copy of The Gay Agenda and the obligatory Coming Out Toaster Oven.

Welcome out, Steve, welcome out.

via Salon