Hi I am from India and I am proud of my sexual orientation.I had no problems with having both physical and romantic relationships towards both men and women.For me the problem is coming out to family members and the underlying fear in my mind. I live with my parents and my sister as a joint family since that's pretty much like many other people here in India.My parents are highly orthodox and they have already great trouble accepting even my Atheist identity too.They have even been guilty of saying Homophobic or Transphobic things whenever they come across such things on news or any other fictional TV shows etc. I have had instances where i pointed out their homophobia and they came defending their phobic stance hardly at me.And to make matters worse I live in a country where homosexuality is a criminal offence.So this makes me very skeptical in how will they react if I come out to them. Till now only my exes and a couple of people know about my orientation.But I have been wanting to come out to my family but the fear factor is stopping me.Even I am undergoing heavy depression due to this and it is killing me inside whether I should or not come out to my family?? Please any help regarding this will be appreciated.
I think that you should start small. Come out to your sister and see how she reacts then make the decision.
That sounds tough to deal with. Since you live in a country where homosexuality is a criminal offense, you must seek ways to help yourself feel better about your situation. You did not choose your sexual orientation. You cannot control the opinions of your parents. I understand it is a hard thing to accept, but you can't change someone's beliefs. Having to hide something like this sounds like something that could cause a lot of anxiety. If this ever happens: If your anxiety or depression gets intense, you must speak to someone or do something. I think there are suicide hotlines where you live that will assist you with whatever problem is bothering you. Please call a suicide hotline if you can. You'll talk to caring and understanding people. Since you live with your parents, you have limited options over what you can do. Hopefully, you have a school counselor or an understanding friend. If nothing else works, keep coming to this forum to seek help. There is a wide variety of people with different perspectives on the issues that the LGBT community faces. I wish you luck.
Since it sounds like you are relying a lot on your parents for food and housing, you might want to carefully weight the pros and cons to coming out to them. You should also consider whether or not your sister would tell your parents if you come out to her. I understand wanting to come out and be honest and open with your family about who you are, but please don't feel as if this is something you need to do. If you do want to come out still, perhaps you could wait until you have some financial independence, or options in case things do not go well. You are still young, I think taking your time with this is fine. I'm sorry, this sounds like a very stressful situation. You could try maybe finding other lgbt people to hangout with and maybe to share your experiences with or confide in. Like Ljjgreat said, you could also consider visiting an lbgt friendly counselor to help process these issues. You aren't alone! There are many other people out there in India and across the world who are in your situation.
I really feel you. I lived in England and whent to a multiracial school (mostly Indian) and there was a Indian kid that was so gay that you could practically smell it, but didnt dare come out beacause of his parents. Hang in their!
