These stories prove there’s no deadline for living authentically.

"One day, I kissed one of the guys. That was the beginning of the end. I’m out to family, and they’re very supportive; they’re sorry I had to carry that around for so long. Things with my ex were obviously difficult at first, but now we’re great friends co-parenting our 6-year-old son. I’ve made some great friends along the way and have had some great experiences. I am more myself than I ever have been because I’ve accepted myself and have the freedom to pursue it."

"At the age of 26, I had just finished a large-ish project, and I had previously thought that I would be happy after it was done. I was incredibly sad. I felt alone, sad, and unfulfilled, and I had no hope for the future. I needed to feel this, apparently. I had never really addressed how I actually felt and what I actually needed. I knew I had to confront the fact that I am gay, that I want to be gay, that I want to have a fulfilling relationship, and that being gay was a part of what would make me happy.

I remember deciding to tell my parents first. This was truly terrifying. I didn't know how they would react, as we never really discussed it before. I just sat there and cried, not saying a word for a few minutes, then took a deep breath and told my mom. She was accepting, and then I told my dad. Thankfully, he was too.

Now I'm completely out, and I do not hide it. I'm engaged to a wonderful person. Work is going well. That work seems more satisfying. I'm 35, going on 36. There were many bumps in the road here, but I'm happy now."

"High school was rough, but I tried to find any way I could to avoid acknowledging who I was. I dated girls, blended with my friends. I hated myself inside, though. I saw no future for myself and honestly just wanted to end things, but didn’t have the balls to really go through with it. All that Catholic school, I guess. I tried enlisting, but I couldn’t because I was relatively newly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

In college, I continued dating women with little success. They can be awfully cruel to a guy when you’re not totally healthy or only 5 ft 7. So, between feeling like having what I wanted (men) would lead to me losing everyone I ever knew and feeling like I was the least attractive man to women ever, my self-esteem went to shit. Undergrad was a lot of rough, isolated emotions. Grad school was the first time I was around people who seemed to genuinely not care or treat people differently because they were gay. By this point, I was hiding in the closet mostly by telling my long-time friends and family that I was just too busy with academia to date, which worked well enough, I suppose. By the time I graduated, I had told a few of them, and the reception was generally positive.

It took until my 30s to be in a position to discuss this with my family. I know it was their fault that I felt I needed to hide who I am so desperately, that they’re the ones who made me think if I slip up, that I’d be disowned or beaten more, that made me terrified. But I don’t care anymore. I’ve missed so many milestones, lost so much time. I see the lives of so many others, some younger, some older, and I can’t be a bystander anymore. Shutting myself off as I have, it really breaks a part of you, and I don’t want to be broken anymore. That starts and ends with me."

"I felt so free, but I couldn't 'start my life' for another four months because I couldn't get my own place. Best thing I ever did. I don't think I would still be alive if I hadn't finally come out. Yes, I feel bad for wasting her time. But you live and learn; luckily, I never wanted kids, so I didn't have that complication."

"Had to do some real soul searching — I was 33 and had never come out because I hadn't needed to — and eventually I had to admit I had fallen hard for him. I thought I knew myself, not being exactly young, but apparently, I didn't. I honestly had never wanted anything more with a guy than friendship or just something sexual, so I assumed I never would.

And then I had to consider what to do next — keep it casual, or try to move into a relationship? And if we were to make it more official, it wouldn't be fair to keep him as my dirty secret. So... after seeing if he wanted to take the next step, which he did, I summoned up the courage to sit my oldest friends and family down and tell them. Friends were great, family was very mixed, which was upsetting. But it needed to be done. The relationship didn't last, but it was a big and necessary step that I'm glad I took."

"That really started it all for me. Got a new therapist with a new focus and made a plan to come out to my wife. It was so hard, but also so freeing. We have two kids and are currently going through all of the not-fun parts of the divorce, but we’ve been good co-parents, and I hope that once we put this part behind us, we can be some sort of 'friends' someday. We don’t hate each other, but it’s just all raw and hurtful at the moment, and that kind of stuff takes time. I wouldn’t change anything about my past because my kids are my world, but I am so happy that I can finally be truly happy. I thought I was happy before, and sure, there were moments of happiness (and I don’t mean to imply I was always unhappy), but this part of me was missing, and I’m glad I found it."

"Then, this past October, I decided to come out to everyone else on National Coming Out Day. I made a post on Facebook, which covered most of the people I know, and I went to my grandparents' house and told them in person. It being a 'secret' was weighing on me. I had debated just getting it over with before, but hadn't done it. I hadn't even realized it was National Coming Out Day until I went on Facebook that night and saw a bunch of posts about it. Something just clicked, and I went for it."

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.