Coming out as gay is one of the most dramatic, earnest, humiliating, and scary things you can do as a teenager. Trust me, I had to do it constantly! The worst part about coming out is that you’re practically begging for the approval of the other people in your life. With important people like your parents or your closest friends, you can’t just casually mention that you’re dating someone of the same gender as you can with noname acquaintances. You must sit them down, tell them, and anxiously await their reaction. 

Most straight people don’t really know how to react to someone coming out without making it awkward. It’s awkward for both of the people involved, so you’ve got a couple of options when the ball is in your court. The best one, in my opinion, is to embrace the earnest sappiness of it all. Tell them you love them and that it’s okay to be gay; the whole nine yards. However, you can also crack a joke to alleviate the tension, which is what one dad did to limited success.