Genia: I called my sister hoping I would be able to find a contact number for my aunt who had been an out lesbian for over 25 years. I wanted her advice on how to come out. While talking to my sister, I learned two of my female cousins had recently come out. I then said, “Really? Guess who else in the family is a lesbian?” When I told her I was gay, she said, “For real? Don’t play with me!” I think it was just a shock because I didn’t look like the other lesbians in the family; I’m a bit more femme than they are. There was no drama, though. No one’s said anything negative about my sexual orientation, at least not that I know of.

Andrea: I came out to my family in 1998. I told my brother several months before my parents and my sister several months after my parents. My parents were pretty surprised by my news and my mom struggled (and still struggles I think) with me being a lesbian. I gave them information on going to groups like PFLAG which they did attend once but never returned. I remember a lot of tears and my mom needing to go outside and gather herself at one point.

Genia: I knew when I was 2! Just kidding. I think I was probably 10 years old when I first realized I liked girls and that most of the other girls liked boys. My mom gave me a set of “Your Body, Your Self” books (something like that, remember those?) when I started my period. In one of those books, there was a section on homosexuality. The book said it was a phase that most adolescents go through and that I would grow out of it. At age 19, I came out as bisexual. At age 23, I realized I was really a homosexual. So much for that phase!

Andrea: It was fall of 1998 and I was in college. One of my best friends had her friend from high school visit. I met her two times. The first time I developed a huge crush on her, the second time she came back I acted on my feelings for her. After she left I realized my feelings were not exclusively for her and that I was attracted to women. Looking back now though, there are things long before that one experience that cued me that I was a lesbian.

She Said, She Said is a podcast featuring lesbian couple Genia and Andrea. Genia is the host of SistersTalk Radio and Andrea is the assistant producer.

In this segment:

*More on the National Equality March
*Coming out the closet in middle school
*Ever fell for your girl’s best friend?
*Dating a lesbian mommy
*Short film reviews

Music at the end of this show: Are Ya Gonna Kiss or Wave Goodbye – by Jose Ayerve and Spouse (a previous SistersTalk Radio guest)

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