In honor of National Coming Out Day, we asked BuzzFeed Community members to share with us pictures of themselves as kids. Basically, we wanted to see their “Mom, how did you not know?!” pictures. You’ll get it when you see it. Enjoy.
3.
“Over it.” —Eric Dimitratos, Facebook
6.
“Blue satin shorts and my homemade Easter bonnet for school…’nuff said, LOL.” —michaelchadfrazier
7.
“I have always been such a little lesbian. Look at those keys dangling from my jeans!” —brittanyw13
8.
“I tried so hard to be girly, to fit into the right mold. I wanted so badly to do everything by the book, to make my mom proud…but who I was was always painfully obvious.” —alishan4d273bd20
13.
“Even at 3, I knew I had a bright future ahead of me as a Tina Turner impersonator.” —whatamidoinghere
14.
“Mom’s heels were always my favorites, to be fair. The thigh-high boots were better, but no one ever photographed them. Sob.” —Jamie Mountain, Facebook
15.
“#Fashion.” —Evan Palmer, Facebook
16.
“Age 12, dressed as Christina Aguilera for a remake of the ‘Lady Marmalade’ music video from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, filmed by my sister.” —Ross Oviatt, Facebook
17.
“I’m at a Revolutionary War fort hanging off the arm of a shirtless man mannequin giving serious face. Iconic.” —Matt Stopera, BuzzFeed
18.
“Striking a pose while our house was being built. My parents were supposedly surprised when I came out…” —Jeffrey Glitt, Facebook
19.
“Age 3, stomping around in my dad’s boots because #fashion.” —Roux Patterson, Facebook
20.
“When I was in preschool, I was a huge fan of the dress-up box. When asked what I want to be when I grow up, I would reply, ‘A lady.'” —Jordan Horsefeathers, Facebook
21.
“Homemade drag 1984 ’cause I wasn’t allowed to wear women’s clothing. I made it from an apron and tablecloth.” —Luke Frew, Facebook
22.
“Nobody seemed too surprised when I said, ‘Hey, by the way, I like girls and always have.’ I’ve always been a tomboy.” —AliSpivey
24.
“I’ll just leave this fashion moment right here.” —Mikey Qi, Facebook
26.
“Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it.” —Andres Zapata, Facebook
28.
“I wanted to be a cowboy who saved people, and I refused to wear my dress. I’ve been with my girlfriend for almost a year, and she still laughs at this picture.” —calliewhatever
29.
“My dad was the coach, my brother was first in line. I was the one-man cheerleading team.” —tavilla
30.
“I wanted that Barbie camper so bad! My dad spent two hours putting all the stickers on.” —coryg4124532c6
31.
“My mini lezzie self was all business in the front and party in the back! And no butch would be complete without a workout panda shirt!” —fitch803
33.
“I lived in England for a summer when I was 5, and I would insist on dressing as Robin Hood EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. In the end, no one was shocked that I’d rather rescue and marry the beautiful princess than BE the beautiful princess.” —amandabreich
35.
“A few short years before I would endlessly get in trouble for dancing on the coffee table to Shania Twain’s ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!'” —bentripp
36.
“This one from the late ’90s is my favorite to share, from the doll cakes to the plastic choker to the Osh Kosh bucket hat.” —Padawan Ryan
38.
“This was taken when I was about 10, and somehow my family was still surprised when I came out at 21.” —peytona3
42.
“I didn’t realize that me saying, ‘It’s not a phase, Mom, god!’ was about more than my punk rock era 😅.” —Amanda Dittus
46.
“Boxing gloves absolutely untouched. Disco station used for spinning Kylie Minogue records until it fell apart.” —Wilson Kelvin McQuade
47.
“I loved my ‘baseball outfit’ and insisted on wearing my bangs down because I didn’t like them to get sweaty and flat beneath my cap.” —mattitude
48.
“My Halloween costume when I was in the fifth grade! I wanted to be a girl that year so bad. I was 10…and somehow, my family didn’t catch on! LOL.” —e4fd78b80d
53.
“I was 10 and on holiday at Clearwater Beach in Florida. I felt like the Little Mermaid.” —sandrov42bc1bee6
56.
“When I was a little boy, I was allowed to play with dolls. After I came out to my family, I asked my mom why she let me. She simply said, ‘You wanted them so bad, and I wanted to make you happy.’ Clearly from my face, you can tell I was happy.” —jonathanm416a87015
58.
“Safety orange, mullet bangs…clamming. This photo always makes me chuckle; look at that little lezzie.” —nikkir4254850db
59.
“Serving Grey Gardens‘ Little Edie realness! As I recall, I was putting on a show in the chicken coop…because that’s normal.” —whitneydubsr
60.
“In 1992, I used to build shelves with my dad, but only while wearing my Mickey construction shirt, and with stamps on my arms to represent tattoos. Grew up to be very gay.” —Britt
61.
“I look so fucking stoked. Trans guy who still now wears a leather jacket and killer glasses.” —ollieow
62.
“My camp counselor took this pic of me dancing to “Oops!… I Did It Again” when I was 8. I was OBSESSED with Britney Spears at the time, and I still love the song to this day. I came out when I was 18, and it’s nice to know that I was just as fabulous at 8 as I am now.” —jordanj13
63.
“I used to play Pretty Pretty Princess with my sister and cousins. Then we would tango to ‘Tango: Maureen’ from Rent.” —jakew4cc132ea6
64.
“Here’s my baby lesbian picture circa 1999. I was really hoping my parents would use this as a headshot; I still don’t know why they didn’t?” —strobertson9
You can share your own pictures by using the drop box below for your chance to be in a future BuzzFeed Community post!
Join BuzzFeed as we celebrate National Coming Out Day from Oct. 10 to Oct. 16. You can explore more coming-out and queer content over on our LGBTQ page.
