FOREVER 17

I don’t wanna be one of those pretentious people with a “FAQ” page but coming out is a question that I get several times every day and I feel bad that I’m too busy to help everyone. Hopefully this little tip page helps, if you have other questions don’t hesitate to ask. Remember coming out relies a lot on personal circumstances.

• Come out when you’re ready. If you don’t feel ready, you probably aren’t.
• Come out to your family in highschool only in the following two situations: one or both of your parents have expressed support and/or tolerance for the gay community; you’re financially independent and don’t need them to pay for college, housing, ect.
• I personally advise against coming out in middle school, personally I know I was very confused during those years. When you’re not even sure of yourself or accepting of yourself, then it’s hard to expect others to be as well.
• You don’t always have to wait till after senior year to come out.
• Don’t be afraid of your religion. You can be gay and Christian if you want to, there are gay-friendly denominations who interpret the Bible correctly even if your church doesn’t. You aren’t going to Hell, if you believe in it, for spreading love.
• Coming out to your school depends on how liberal your area is. As a general rule, metropolitan areas on the east or west coasts are safe to come out. If your in the culture deprived wasteland in the middle of the country, perhaps wait, statistically attitudes there are as much as 20 years behind progressive cities. Just because it’s a republican area does not mean that you can’t come out. My town is a known republican stronghold but my generations social values definitely differ from their parents.
• If physical bullying is a risk of coming out, I’d wait. It’s better to be safe. If it’s verbal bullying, then don’t be afraid as long as you know you’d have a large strong equally vocal support group.
• Coming out to your school also depend on how well liked you are. If you’re well liked or somewhat popular, chances are you’ll remain that way or gain respect for being yourself. This is not always true but its a general trend I’ve noticed from talking to many gay people. If you are hated, it could get worse because bullies attack those who they find weak. 
• Be strong, proud, and unwavering once you come out. 
• If you aren’t bi, then don’t come out as bi. Be 100% proud of who you are when you come out, don’t half-ass it.
• Come out to close friends first. Start with people you KNOW are gay-supportive (girls usually) and that won’t gossip. Branch out to more and more friends gradually. Best friends (especially if their the same sex) can be tricky, but remember: if they’re you’re real friend then they’ll accept you.
• Facebook is A-okay. I did it and got over 90 likes on the status plus dozens of supportive comments. Just make sure you’ve already come out to the most important people in your life beforehand. Hide family from the viewing the post if you haven’t come out to them yet. Some people deserve to be told personally.
• Coming out to your parents is terrifying. Get the support and love from friends and/or your school first. Take the plunge only if you are ready, don’t be pressured, there’s no rush to come out.
• Get a grasp on your parents viewpoints on homosexuality beforehand. Watch the news with them and wait for something gay related to come up, watch their reaction. Watch shows with them that has some gay content, watch their reaction. If they seem supportive with gay people in general, then they’ll be supportive of you.
• Again, remain proud and vocal about your sexuality. Don’t flip flop.
• Be safe.
• If coming out will probably make your life worse then don’t do it yet. If it will probably make your life better then go ahead.
• I’m here to help. But many people on youtube have great coming out videos that could really help, personally they gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance before coming out. Get as many opinions as possible.