Hi, my name is Sophie and I know I'm gay although I am quite young. Being in the closet for so long is really eating me up but I go to an all girls school and am worried that I will be outcast if I come out as a lesbian. What if none of my friends invite me for sleepovers anymore or don't want to go out with me? I love my friends and know they support LGBT rights but I really don't want to be treated any differently and I'm worried that they might without realising it. I was thinking that if I wait until after high school or in college to come out then I can start completely new and be who I want but I still have a few more years to go and I don't know how much more times I have to pretend to be attracted to this guy when I'm really not. I know that this probably seems like a really stupid problem and I should just get over it but it has been on my mind for ages and I could use some advice from people who might have some idea what I'm going through. :help:
How old are you if you don't mind me asking? The answer can be a little dependent on your age. If you are younger, it may be a bit iffy. Some kids can be really ignorant or immature even if they don't intend to be mean. It would also depend on how your parents would take it. If there's a good chance it will turn out bad, it's best to wait until you are independent. Remember that you don't have to come out yet, especially if it puts your health and well-being at risk. But, if you really want to, you can start small. Tell a really close friend or a sibling/parent that you are sure will keep it a secret as long as you want and will support anything you do. As for being afraid that your friends' views of you will change, there is always a little bit of risk when coming out. You can assume how someone will react, but you never really know until you actually do it. It's still a little early for me to say, but my friends are great so far. They have understood and have honestly surprised me with how nice they are about it. You honestly know better than any of us how things could turn out with them because it just depends on the friend. Congratulations on wanting to come out and I hope it goes well!
Welcome to EC and I have to agree with tyuiop97 it really does depend on how old you and your friends are ,if they are young then you do take a chance that they don't fully understand and might make fun of you or even worse not be friends with you at all .If you feel that they can handle it and you are comfortable with it I would say go for it . I wish you only the best of luck
I'd say 14+ would be a good age to come out as prior to that you may be met with disbelief or people mocking you
I agree wait until you are of a good age to be able to deal with the backlash that you could get... but don't be like me and wait till your 40! lol Good luck with whichever road you take.
Any younger than eleven might be too young, depending on the people you want to come out to what reactions you're expecting from them.
I am 15 years old so that's why I'm worried that they might not understand and treat me differently. My dad is homophobic which is a problem but I'm constantly considering coming out to my mum first since I think she is the only one who will understand. I do think it might be best to wait until I'm older to make the situation less awkward. It is just difficult when my friends are all looking to get boyfriends and they don't understand why I have no desire to. Thankyou for replying it is really nice to be able to discuss these kinds of things with someone.
Hm, well I'm fifteen and I came out at fourteen. People are coming out younger and younger nowadays, as society becomes more accepting. But I suppose it's different when you have a homophobic parent.
