Coming Out: Does it Ever End?

Coming out is a process specific to people of the LGBTQ community. For those of you who don't know what "coming out" means, it is the process of disclosing to people what your sexual and/or gender orientation is. "So what's the big deal? Once you come out it's over, right?" Well, not exactly.

With over 7 billion people in the world, there is always someone new to meet and explain your story to. This means that the process never really ends. The overall goal is to have everyone in your life aware of your identification with the LGBTQ community. However, new people walk into our lives all the time. This means that you always have a new person to explain yourself to. While this may not be a problem for some people (I'm pretty vocal about my gender/sexual orientation), others may have a harder time coming out.

The most important part of coming out is comfort. You should only come out when you feel ready to. It's pretty hard to go back into the closet once you've come out, so you need to be prepared. It can be really difficult coming out, especially to your family and close friends. However, it does get easier with time. The first person I came out to, I made her guess what I wanted to tell her. When I came out to my boyfriend, I called him and stalled for 45 minutes before actually telling him. That was in August. Now, I'm quite willing to tell people about my gender identity. I came out on Facebook on National Coming Out Day (October 11). I still struggle sometimes though. My biggest issue is coming out to my parents. I'm still figuring out how to do that. As comfortable as I seem with my sexual/gender orientation, coming out still makes me nervous and even scares me a bit.

For some of you, coming out is especially hard. Some of you (like me) are in homes where your families aren't supportive. Some of you go to schools where the students and staff don't respect who you are. And some of you feel like you are being treated as less than by your church or place of worship (My church is okay with my trans* status, but it doesn't support the gay community. Strange, I know.). If anybody wants to talk to me about coming out, ask questions about how to do it, or just express your concerns, please contact me. I'm always here to talk to you. My email is kittypal853@gmail.com. I'm always here for you.

If you have any questions or comments about this post, please put them in the comments section below (or send them to my email if you want to remain anonymous).

Lots of Love,
Nick