This is Gina. She's a 16-year-old who lives in California. She told BuzzFeed News that she'd known she was gay for about a year, but hadn't figured out a way to tell her family yet. She explained, "I am not the type of person to have a deep, sit-down conversation, so I wanted to tell them in a lighthearted and fun way." So she decided to go with the ol' "funny ride photo." Classic.
On a trip to Disneyland, she rode Splash Mountain with her mom, and at the end of the ride, when the picture is taken of the flume making the big descent, she held up sign written in rainbow colored letters that read, "I'm gay!"
When her mother saw the picture, she sent it to Gina's dad and brother. Her family reaction to her announcement was "so positive." Apparently her dad and brother were already "70% sure I was gay," but her mother had no idea. Gina knew her family would be supportive and accepting—otherwise she probably would've gone with a slightly more subtle approach.
Gina also posted the picture on Twitter, where it's been retweeted almost 6,000 times since June 20. She told BuzzFeed:
I never expected it to blow up like this. This Twitter account was just my spam account where I posted random fangirl stuff but I decided it couldn’t hurt to post it and the result was absolutely amazing. . . People have responded saying I’ve inspired them to do the same thing, which I think is the coolest part of it all.
Looks like her sign really (waaaait for it) MADE A SPLASH (nailed it!). Good job, Gina!
