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'You've got a girlfriend? Wish I did!' National Coming Out day prompts LGBT men and women to reveal VERY different reactions they got after stepping out of the closet

October 11th has been annual National Coming Out Day since 1988
LBGT men and women took to social media to share coming out stories
Reactions vary from comedy to sadness to discrimination
Singer Sam Smith called those coming out 'the brave hearts' on Twitter

By Jo Tweedy For Mailonline

Published: 06:13 EST, 12 October 2015 | Updated: 07:31 EST, 12 October 2015

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It's 27 years since the first National Coming Out day, on October 11th 1988, encouraged gay and transgender people to be open about their sexuality.

To celebrate the day, many LGBT people turned to social media to share their own stories about what it felt like to finally step out of the closet.

Some of those told of how their loved ones responded with humour, while others said their relatives were non-plussed or even expected the news.

At the more negative end of the spectrum, there are tales of anger and sadness.

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One user of Whisper - which lets people share postcard secrets online - revealed that their family had a wager on their offspring being gay

Many of those sharing stories showed how they used modern technology to help them come out including this female iPhone user, who's father is seemingly jealous of her relationship status and non-plussed by her news

Coming out in the 21st century isn't always a face-to-face affair either, with many using messaging services to be open with loved ones.

One comical exchange, posted on yourtango.com showed how one father was jealous of his daughter finding love. It reads: 'Hi dad, wanted to let you know I have a girlfriend x'

His response is short but sweet: 'Well I wish I did'

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Another exchange, illustrated on secret-sharing site Whisper, revealed a family wager on their offspring's sexuality.

The author writes: 'When I came out and told my parents I was gay, my mom handed my dad $20.'

Another shows how one woman delivered the news with icing and sponge.

Baking a cake with the words 'I'm gay' scribed upon it in green lettering, she accompanied it with a note filled with baking puns including: 'like this cake, I'm hoping you're not in tiers.'

Tell them with cake! One gay baking fan used icing and sponge to reveal her sexuality to her parents

Some took to social media to convey their sadness at not being accepted while others revealed that family members threw them a curveball when they came out

For some, acceptance doesn't come quite so easily. Other Whisper posts revealed discrimination and anger.

One user describes: 'I came out to my family last week. They all hate me now and call me scum. It hurts but I can't help the way I am. They should love me regardless.'

Others found that their own news was trumped by a parent coming out. Onewhisper user wrote: 'I came out of the closet to my mom. She came out to me too.'

In the UK, singer Sam Smith posted a message of support on his Twitter feeds while cook and political activist Jack Monroe used the moment to come out as transgender.

She wrote on her Twitter account: '*deep breath* Yes I am transgender. Not all trans people transition from one binary gender to another, and it's #National Coming Out day.'

Spectre singer Sam Smith took to Twitter to wish 'the brave hearts' a happy Coming Out Day

Coming out as transgender: Jack Monroe revealed yesterday that she is trans

British army captain Hannah Winterbourne, 28, who transitioned from male to female after realising she was transgender during a tour of Afghanistan at the age of 25 shared the moment she told her parents in a bid to inspire others.

Winterbourne, from Cardiff, told WalesOnline that her family and friends were supportive.

Of coming out, she said: 'I was at university when I understood who I am, but it wasn’t until 2012, when I was 25 that I did something about it.

'I transitioned because it is who I am. There is no choice. You can no more choose than you can choose to be black or white or left handed. It just is who I am.'

British army captain Hannah Winterbourne, 28, used the day to speak out about her own experience of transitioning from male to female. She's pictured with her father Brian, who supported her as soon as she came out to him

Hannah, pictured far left before her transition, realised that she was transgender while serving with the British army in Afghanistan when she was 25

Her father Brian added that although he was surprised, he was supportive although worried that life might prove difficult for his daughter. 'I was surprised but supportive. It’s not something any parent wants to hear, not because they are negative, but because they see it might mean a hard life. Though that’s not always the case.

'When Hannah first told me she said ‘I have got something to tell you and it’s serious’. I thought she was ill or something and when she told me I thought ‘thank God for that, it’s not something serious.'

National Coming Out Day began in 1998 in the US, when tens of thousands of LGBT supporters marched on the White House. The campaign has gathered momentum ever since with many countries hosting parties or co-coinciding their Pride march with the date.

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