So I came out waay back In 2010 to my parents at 17, and certainly before that to my friends (most if not all were LGBT themselves) Fast forward 7 years later, I'm almost 24, living in a foreign country that is theoretically tolerant of LGBT identities but I don't know how it actually relates to me in terms of my job etc, especially as a foreigner. I am no longer friends with most of my LGBT friends from my youth. My new friends are all decidedly not LGBT. while there are things about me that identify me as "visibly gay" in England, the same perceptions do not apply to Thailand. I am assumed straight. There is no question of this. And so I am back in the closet. Not out of choice, not even really perhaps out of necessity, but I've yet to find the person to ask whether or not it's acceptable for me to be out, loud and proud in my small rural Thai town. Thailand is not particularly bigoted towards LGBT people; I have a large number of LGBT/gender variant students and this for the most part does not seem to be an issue for the school, although the students are required to dress in the school uniform for their birth assigned gender. But this does not necessarily mean it is acceptable to be LGBT and in a position of authority (especially over children). I live in a very small town and everything I do or say is constantly in danger of getting back to the director of my school. This puts me in constant fear of being outed, and thus so far I have told virtually no one that I am gay. Does anyone have a similar experience, of spending time happily out and then suddenly not being able to be out at all, or not being comfortable in being out? Does anyone have any advice? I have spent so long out of the closet that's I've forgotten how to deal with being closeted.
