True Life › Ep.

Coming out can be one of the most gut-wrenching experiences in the life of any young person. But what happens after you've told your friends and family that you're gay? On this episode of True Life, we meet three young people facing the challenge of living new lives outside the closet.

Twenty-one-year-old Josh recently moved to California to live a more openly gay life, a transition being rushed by his boyfriend, Ben, who has been out for years and has little patience for the apprehensions of a "newbie." When Ben pushes Josh to be more open about his sexual orientation in public, it frustrates Josh to the point of questioning his relationship with Ben. After feeling embarrassed by Ben's over-the-top antics at a bar, Josh decides he needs a companion who will allow the pace of his relationships to proceed more slowly.

Kate, 21, came out three years ago and is growing increasingly angry at the intolerance she experiences almost daily. But her girlfriend, Selby, wishes Kate was less vocal about her gay pride. When Selby tries to get Kate to hang out with some of her college friends at a party, Kate writes them off before they even walk through the door. The couple eventually decides that they need to compromise, to find similar friends if they want their relationship to survive.

Another Josh, also 21, is just beginning to explore his local gay community. Hailing from a conservative Southern family, he hasn't yet come out to his father and he's not entirely comfortable being out. Anxious to embrace his identity, Josh celebrates his birthday going out with some other gay friends to meet a longtime Internet crush. When the crush turns out to be a dud, Josh begins to feel that he won't meet his mister right until he moves out on his own. Gathering the courage he needs, he eventually takes that all-important step and tells his father the truth about his sexuality.