I did not come out as gay until I was 29 years old, afraid that I would be rejected by family and friends.   I was lonely, afraid and self hating for more than half of my life.   When I finally came out, my parents and other family members told me that they had suspected that I was gay.  Had they told me, "It's okay if you are gay", I could have been open decades earlier and had a full and rich life and a feeling of being loved.