It's a finger snap. A quick turn-around. A slow burn. It can come out of a lot of different directions. It can be described as many things, but realizing you're gay can always be described as monumental and empowering.
Reddit user, u/Hopezero, wanted to hear about your wake-up call when they asked:
Gay people of Reddit, what was your "Oh sh-t I'm gay" moment?
It Happens That Fast
GiphyThe moment I, a male, thought "Damn, why are all the hot guys gay?" followed immediately by "Wait, what?"
It's Nothing To Repress
I never had any crushes or interest in anything romantic until quite a few years after my sister and stepsister did (13 months and 22 months younger than me, respectively). Then, when I finally developed a crush, it was on a girl. Suppressed it for years after my crush rejected me, so hard even I, myself, believed it was untrue, until I got drunk around a campfire with my best friend and ended up making out with her all night.
My best friend and I have now been married for 5 months 😊
Oooooh...
I'm bi, and I realized it a little while after a friend of mine came out to me as bi.
"How do you know?" I asked her
"I just know that I check out both girls and guys." she replied
"That doesn't mean you're bi, everyone does that! I check out girls and guys t- oh..."
Play Together Every Day
When I realized I fell in love with my best friend.
Also we were both on the football team and we shared a locker...
Bootybootybooty Rocking Everywhere
My best friend, who grew up as a good Irish Catholic schoolgirl, was walking behind a woman in an airport in the most amazing yellow dress. Just going on and on in her head about how beautifully it flowed, how it curved, how it settled on... After minutes of this, she realised that actually she was just staring at That A--. It was an amazing a--.
"Oh sh-t!" She thought, as she realised, looking back down her life: "Every time I've admired another woman's clothes... I've totally been admiring them."
So, yeah. That A-- changed her life.
Don't Know Until You Try It
Honestly still had doubts until I kissed a girl.
I'd been trying to date guys unsuccessfully for years at that point. Kisses had felt gross and awful. I never wanted to touch them.
Kissing her was amazing. I started feeling all those feelings you see/read about and that I had previously thought were somewhere between exaggeration and straight up lie.
Spoiler Alert:
GiphyI was at summer camp, between 7th and 8th grade. I'd made a new friend and we were talking about stuff, getting to know each other. He made an offhand comment about one of his friends who was bisexual. I was like, "What does that mean?" I'd never even heard of the concept before then. It had never even crossed my mind that people could be romantically interested in the same sex. So he tells me what it means to be gay and bisexual. I think to myself, "Huh. Am I? I didn't know I could be like that. Maybe I am."
Spoiler alert: I was.
Sometimes, You Need A Get Away
When I was a Mormon missionary in Eastern Europe. The other missionaries were tempted by the pretty girls and lingerie ads, and I was tempted by the other missionaries.
Inspiration From The Most Unlikely Of Places
I'm so embarrassed but it was while watching that absolutely grim show 'A shot at love with Tila Tequila' on MTV.
I was an 18yr old girl, had never met a gay person (that I knew about) in real life, and BOOM I loved all those lesbians on the show.
Dani the firefighter, thanks for all the feelings.
Can't believe it's a shout out to Tila Tequila for her dumb show.
Sometimes, You Just Need Someone With Whom To Relate
One of my gay friends was telling me how he realised he was gay and I found myself relating to everything he was saying. Before that, I thought I was asexual. I knew I wasn't into girls but had never really seriously contemplated whether or not I was into guys, perhaps because I was afraid of the conclusion I'd reach, so I just settled on thinking I was asexual. In hindsight, I'd always been into guys, I just misinterpreted all my feeling of attraction as feelings of jealousy. I'd see a hot guy and tell myself that I really wanted to look like him and that that was why I couldn't stop staring. It made sense at the time, even though it sounds absurd in retrospect.
During that conversation, the realisation that I had been in denial for years just hit me and I knew I was gay.
Napoleon GIF by Sony Pictures
warrior sparta GIF by Assassin's Creed
Thats Bad Oh No GIF by Acorn TV
colin farrell alexander GIF
miracle whip sandwich GIF by 
@nohamichelson/Threads
@nohamichelson/Bluesky
@nohamichelson/Bluesky