View source for Social:Coming out

{{Short description|Process of revealing one's sexual orientation or other attributes}}
[[File:25 April 2017 - LGBT Movement (34385845005).jpg|thumb|LGBT Movement - April 25, 2017 by Pedro Ribeiro Simões]]

'''Coming out of the closet''', often shortened to '''coming out''', is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's [[Philosophy:Self-disclosure|self-disclosure]] of their [[Social:Sexual orientation|sexual orientation]], romantic orientation or [[Philosophy:Gender identity|gender identity]].

This is often framed and debated as a [[Privacy|privacy]] issue, because the consequences may be very different for different individuals, some of whom may have their job security or personal security threatened by such disclosure. The act may be experienced variously as a psychological process or journey;<ref name="Coming Out: A Journey">{{cite web |url=http://utahpridecenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=44 |title=Coming Out: A Journey |publisher=Utah Pride Center |access-date=24 June 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825202112/http://utahpridecenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=44 |archive-date=25 August 2009}}</ref> [[Decision-making|decision-making]] or [[Risk|risk-taking]]; a strategy or plan; a mass or public event; a [[Philosophy:Speech act|speech act]] and a matter of [[Social:Identity (social science)|personal identity]]; a [[Religion:Rite of passage|rite of passage]]; [[Philosophy:Liberty|liberation]] or [[Social:Emancipation|emancipation]] from [[Philosophy:Oppression|oppression]]; an ordeal;<ref>{{cite news |date=20 October 2009 |title=GAA star Donal Og Cusack: Teammates helped me through ordeal of revealing I am gay |work=Belfast Telegraph |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/gaa-star-donal-og-cusack-teammates-helped-me-through-ordeal-of-revealing-i-am-gay/28501081.html |access-date=16 January 2012}}</ref> a means toward feeling [[Social:LGBT pride|LGBT pride]] instead of [[Philosophy:Shame|shame]] and [[Social:Social stigma|social stigma]]; or a career-threatening act.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.queerty.com/rupert-everett-says-coming-out-killed-his-career-20090220/ |first=Japhy |last=Grant |title=Rupert Everett Says Coming Out Killed His Career |magazine=Queerty |date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015003811/http://www.queerty.com/rupert-everett-says-coming-out-killed-his-career-20090220/ |archive-date=15 October 2010}}</ref> Author Steven Seidman writes that "it is the power of the closet to shape the core of an individual's life that has made homosexuality into a significant personal, social, and political drama in twentieth-century America".<ref>Seidman, Steven (2003). ''Beyond the Closet; The Transformation of Gay and Lesbian Life'', 25, {{ISBN|0-415-93207-6}}</ref>

''Coming out of the closet'' is the source of other gay slang expressions related to voluntary disclosure or lack thereof. LGBT people who have already revealed or no longer conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity are ''out of the closet'' or simply ''out'', i.e., openly LGBT. By contrast<!--'Oppositely' is awkward English  -->, LGBT people who have yet to come out or have opted not to do so are labelled as [[Social:Closeted|closeted or being in the closet]]. [[Social:Outing|Outing]] is the deliberate or accidental disclosure of an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity by someone else, without the first individual's consent. By extension, ''outing oneself'' is self-disclosure. ''Glass closet'' refers to the open secret of a public figure widely thought to be LGBT even though the person has not officially come out.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.out.com/entertainment/2008/09/22/glass-closet |first=Michael |last=Musto |title=The Glass Closet |magazine=Out |date=22 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705232840/http://www.out.com/entertainment/2008/09/22/glass-closet |archive-date=5 July 2012}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Karl Heinrich  Ulrichs.jpg|thumb|19th-century gay rights advocate Karl Heinrich Ulrichs]]
Between 1864 and 1869, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs wrote a series of pamphlets—as well as giving a lecture to the Association of German Jurists in 1867—advocating decriminalization of sex acts between men, in which he was candid about his own homosexuality. Historian Robert Beachy has said of him, "I think it is reasonable to describe [Ulrichs] as the first gay person to publicly out himself."<ref name="Stack-2020">{{cite news |last=Stack |first=Liam |title=Overlooked No More: Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Pioneering Gay Activist |newspaper={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/01/obituaries/karl-heinrich-ulrichs-overlooked.html |date=1 July 2020}}</ref>

In early 20th-century Germany, "coming out" was called "self-denunciation" and entailed serious legal and reputational risks.<ref name=Marhoefer>{{cite journal |last1=Marhoefer |first1=Laurie |title=Did Sex Bring Down the Weimar Republic? |journal=Bulletin of the GHI Washington |issue=65 |date=Fall 2019 |pages=59–71 |url=https://perspectivia.net/receive/pnet_mods_00002492 |language=en |issn=1048-9134}}</ref> In his 1906 work, ''Das Sexualleben unserer Zeit in seinen Beziehungen zur modernen Kultur'' (The sexual life of our time in its relation to modern civilization),<ref>Bloch, Ivan (1906). ''Das Sexualleben unserer Zeit in seinen Beziehungen zur modernen Kultur''. [The sexual life of our time in its relations to modern civilization], 1910.</ref> Iwan Bloch, a German-Jewish physician, entreated elderly homosexuals to self-disclose to their family members and acquaintances. In 1914, Magnus Hirschfeld revisited the topic in his major work ''The Homosexuality of Men and Women'', discussing the social and legal potential of several thousand homosexual men and women of rank revealing their sexual orientation to the police in order to influence legislators and public opinion.<ref>Johansson&Percy, p.24</ref> Hirschfeld did not support 'self-denunciation' and dismissed the possibilities of a political movement based on open homosexuals.<ref name=Marhoefer/>

The first prominent American to reveal his homosexuality was the poet Robert Duncan. In 1944, using his own name in the anarchist magazine ''Politics'', he wrote that homosexuals were an oppressed minority.<ref>[http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15949 "Robert Duncan and Romantic Synthesis: A Few Notes"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906020604/http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15949|date=6 September 2010}}. This article also republished as "On Robert Duncan" at Modern American Poetry website</ref> The decidedly clandestine Mattachine Society, founded by Harry Hay and other veterans of the Wallace for President campaign in Los Angeles in 1950, moved into the public eye after Hal Call took over the group in San Francisco in 1953. Many gays emerged from the closet there.

In 1951, Donald Webster Cory<ref name=sagarin>{{cite web |url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/sagarin_e.html |title=Donald Webster Cory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606151656/http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/sagarin_e.html |archive-date=6 June 2009 |publisher=[[Glbtq.com|glbtq.com]] |access-date=7 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/sagarin_e.html |title=Sagarin bio |publisher=Glbtq.com |date=18 September 1913 |access-date=24 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606151656/http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/sagarin_e.html |archive-date=6 June 2009}}</ref> published his landmark ''The Homosexual in America'', saying, "Society has handed me a mask to wear&nbsp;... Everywhere I go, at all times and before all sections of society, I pretend." Cory was a pseudonym, but his frank and openly subjective descriptions served as a stimulus to the emerging homosexual self-awareness and the nascent [[Social:Homophile movement|homophile movement]].

In the 1960s, Frank Kameny came to the forefront of the struggle. Having been fired from his job as an astronomer for the Army Map service in 1957 for homosexual behavior, because it was considered to make people vulnerable to blackmail pressure and endanger secure positions, Kameny refused to go quietly. He openly fought his dismissal, eventually appealing it to the US Supreme Court. <!-- What was the outcome? -->As a vocal leader of the growing movement, Kameny argued for unapologetic public actions. The cornerstone of his conviction was that, "we must instill in the [[Social:LGBT community|homosexual community]] a sense of worth to the individual homosexual", which could only be achieved through campaigns openly led by homosexuals themselves.

With the spread of consciousness raising (CR) in the late 1960s, coming out became a key strategy of the gay liberation movement to raise [[Philosophy:Political consciousness|political consciousness]] to counter [[Social:Heterosexism|heterosexism]] and homophobia. At the same time and continuing into the 1980s, gay and lesbian [[Social:Social support|social support]] discussion groups, some of which were called "coming-out groups", focused on sharing coming-out "stories" (accounts) with the goal of reducing isolation and increasing LGBT visibility and [[Social:Gay pride|pride]].

== Etymology <span id="Sociolinguistic origin"></span>==
The present-day expression "coming out" is understood to have originated in the early 20th century from an [[Analogy|analogy]] that likens homosexuals' introduction into gay subculture to a débutante's ''coming-out party''. This is a celebration for a young upper-class woman who is making her début&nbsp;– her formal presentation to society&nbsp;– because she has reached adult age or has become eligible for marriage. As historian George Chauncey points out:
<blockquote>Gay people in the pre-war years [pre-WWI]&nbsp;... did not speak of ''coming out of'' what we call "the gay closet" but rather of ''coming out into'' what they called "homosexual society" or the "gay world", a world neither so small, nor so isolated, nor, often, so hidden as "closet" implies.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chauncey |first=George |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/298105088 |title=Gay New York: gender, urban culture, and the makings of the gay male world, 1890-1940 |date=1994 |isbn=978-0-7867-2335-5 |location=New York |pages=7 |oclc=298105088}}</ref></blockquote>
In fact, as Elizabeth Kennedy observes, "using the term 'closet' to refer to" previous times such as "the 1920s and 1930s might be [[Anachronism|anachronistic]]".<ref>Kennedy, Elizabeth. "'But We Would Never Talk about It': The Structure of Lesbian Discretion in South Dakota, 1928–1933" in ''Inventing Lesbian Cultures in America'', ed. Ellen Lewin (1996). Boston: Beacon Press. p.25 and 214</ref>

An article on coming out<ref name="glbtq.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/coming_out_ssh.html |title=Coming Out |publisher=glbtq.com |date=31 August 2009 |access-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014140942/http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/coming_out_ssh.html |archive-date=14 October 2014}}</ref> in the online encyclopedia [[Glbtq.com|glbtq.com]] states that sexologist Evelyn Hooker's observations introduced the use of "coming out" to the academic community in the 1950s. The article continues by echoing Chauncey's observation that a subsequent shift in [[Philosophy:Connotation|connotation]] occurred later on. The pre-1950s focus was on ''entrance'' into "a new world of hope and communal solidarity", whereas the post-Stonewall Riots overtone was an ''exit'' from the oppression of the closet.<ref name="glbtq.com" /> This change in focus suggests that "coming out ''of the closet''" is a mixed metaphor that joins "coming out" with the closet metaphor: an evolution of "skeleton in the closet" specifically referring to living a life of denial and secrecy by concealing one's [[Social:Sexual orientation|sexual orientation]]. The closet metaphor, in turn, is extended to the forces and pressures of heterosexist society and its institutions.

== Identity issues ==

When coming out is described as a gradual process or a journey,<ref name="Coming Out: A Journey" /> it is meant to include becoming aware of and acknowledging one's gender identity, gender expression, or non-hetero-normative sexual orientation or attraction. This preliminary stage, which involves soul-searching or a personal [[Epiphany (feeling)|epiphany]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://imfromdriftwood.com/im-from-new-york-ny-5/ |title=Gay Epiphany |access-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014093757/http://imfromdriftwood.com/im-from-new-york-ny-5/ |archive-date=14 October 2014}}</ref> is often called "coming out to oneself" and constitutes the start of [[Philosophy:Self-acceptance|self-acceptance]]. Many LGBT people say that this stage began for them during [[Social:Adolescence|adolescence]] or childhood, when they first became aware of their sexual orientation toward members of the same sex. 

Coming out has also been described as a process because of a recurring need or desire to come out in new situations in which LGBT people are assumed to be heterosexual or [[Social:Cisgender|cisgender]], such as at a new job or with new acquaintances. A major frame of reference for those coming out has included using an inside/outside perspective, where some assume that the person can keep their identity or orientation a secret and separate from their outside appearance. This is not as simple as often thought, as Diana Fuss (1991) argues, "the problem of course with the inside/outside rhetoric&nbsp;... is that such polemics disguise the fact that most of us are both inside and outside at the same time".

=== LGBT identity development ===
Every coming out story is the person trying to come to terms with who they are and their sexual orientation.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chirrey |first=Deborah |title=I Hereby Come Out: What Sort Of Speech Act Is Coming Out? |journal=Journal of Sociolinguistics |year=2003 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=24–37 |doi=10.1111/1467-9481.00209}}</ref> Several models have been created to describe coming out as a process for gay and lesbian identity development, e.g. Dank, 1971; Cass, 1984; Coleman, 1989; Troiden, 1989. Of these models, the most widely accepted is the [[Social:Cass identity model|Cass identity model]] established by Vivienne Cass.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uvm.edu/~linemen/articles/genderidentity.pdf |title=Sexual Identity: The Case Model |access-date=19 April 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325110617/http://www.uvm.edu/~linemen/articles/genderidentity.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2016}}</ref> This model outlines six discrete stages transited by individuals who successfully come out: identity confusion, identity comparison, identity tolerance, identity acceptance, identity pride, and identity synthesis. However, not every LGBT person follows such a model. For example, some LGBT youth become aware of and accept their same-sex desires or gender identity at puberty in a way similar to which heterosexual teens become aware of their sexuality, i.e., free of any notion of difference, stigma or shame in terms of the gender of the people to whom they are attracted.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LGBT Coming Out of the Closet News and Information |url=https://www.sexualdiversity.org/sexuality/out/ |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=Sexual Diversity |date=January 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> Regardless of whether LGBT youth develop their identity based on a model, the typical age at which youth in the United States come out has been dropping. High school students and even middle school students are coming out.<ref>''Salon'': [http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/09/24/gay_teens/ Amy Benfer, "We're here! We're queer! We're 13!", September 24, 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927045536/http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/09/24/gay_teens/|date=27 September 2009}}, accessed 16 January 2012</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27out-t.html |work=The New York Times Magazine |title=Coming Out in Middle School |first=Benoit |last=Denizet-Lewis |date=27 September 2009 | access-date=30 April 2010 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513000820/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27out-t.html | archive-date=13 May 2011}}</ref><ref name="Gay Kids Coming Out Younger But Parents Ask 'How Do You Know?'">[http://jezebel.com/5366812/gay-kids-coming-out-younger-but-parents-ask-how-do-you-know Coming Out Younger] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708192103/http://jezebel.com/5366812/gay-kids-coming-out-younger-but-parents-ask-how-do-you-know|date=8 July 2013}}, Jezebel.com article.</ref>

Emerging research suggests that gay men from religious backgrounds are likely to come out online via Facebook and other social networks, such as blogs, as they offer a protective interpersonal distance. This largely contradicts the growing movement in social media research indicating that online use, particularly Facebook, can lead to negative mental health outcomes such as increased levels of anxiety. While further research is needed to assess whether these results generalize to a larger sample, these recent findings open the door to the possibility that gay men's online experiences may differ from those of heterosexuals in that these may be more likely to provide mental health benefits than consequences.<ref>Etengoff, C. & Daiute, C. (2015). "Online Coming Out Communications between Gay Men and their Religious Family Allies: A Family of Choice and Origin Perspective", ''Journal of GLBT Family Studies.''</ref>

===Transgender identity and coming out===
Transgender people vary greatly in choosing when, whether, and how to disclose their transgender status to family, close friends, and others. The prevalence of discrimination<ref>{{cite web |url=http://glaadblog.org/2011/02/04/groundbreaking-report-reflects-persistent-discrimination-against-transgender-community/ |title=Groundbreaking Report Reflects Persistent Discrimination Against Transgender Community |date=4 February 2011 |website=GLAAD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803205502/http://glaadblog.org/2011/02/04/groundbreaking-report-reflects-persistent-discrimination-against-transgender-community/ |archive-date=3 August 2011 |access-date=21 April 2021}}</ref> and violence against transgender people (in the United States, for example, transgender people are 28 percent more likely to be victims of violence)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.glaad.org/blog/violence-against-transgender-people-and-people-color-disproportionately-high-lgbtqh-murder-rate |title=Violence Against Transgender People and People of Color is Disproportionately High, LGBTQH Murder Rate Peaks |last=Bolles |first=Alexandra |date=4 June 2012 |publisher=GLAAD |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151228050921/http://www.glaad.org/blog/violence-against-transgender-people-and-people-color-disproportionately-high-lgbtqh-murder-rate |archive-date=28 December 2015 |access-date=16 December 2015}}</ref> can make coming out a risky decision. Fear of retaliatory behavior, such as being removed from the parental home while underage, is a reason for transgender people to delay coming out to their families until they have reached adulthood.<ref>Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. [https://www.glaad.org/2010/02/25/sassafras-lowreys-kicked-out-anthology-shares-stories-of-lgbtq-youth-homelessness "Sassafras Lowrey's Kicked Out Anthology Shares Stories of LGBTQ Youth Homelessness"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804080450/http://glaadblog.org/2010/02/25/sassafras-lowreys-kicked-out-anthology-shares-stories-of-lgbtq-youth-homelessness/|date=4 August 2011}}, "GLAAD", USA, 25 February 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2011.</ref> Parental confusion and lack of acceptance of a transgender child may result in parents treating a newly revealed gender identity as a "phase" or making efforts to change their children back to "normal" by using mental health services to [[Social:Conversion therapy|alter the child's gender identity]].<ref name="hrc-comingout">{{Cite web |title=Coming Out to Family as Transgender |url=http://www.hrc.org/issues/3455.htm |publisher=Human Rights Campaign |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103222434/http://www.hrc.org/issues/3455.htm |archive-date=3 January 2011 |access-date=5 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-children-and-youth-understanding-the-basics |title=Transgender Children & Youth: Understanding the Basics {{!}} Human Rights Campaign|last=Campaign|first=Human Rights|website=Human Rights Campaign |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910211556/http://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-children-and-youth-understanding-the-basics |archive-date=10 September 2017 |access-date=23 August 2017}}</ref>

The internet can play a significant role in the coming out process for transgender people. Some come out in an [[Online identity|online identity]] first, providing an opportunity to go through experiences virtually and safely before risking social sanctions in the real world.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Marciano |first=A. |year=2014 |title=Living the VirtuReal: Negotiating transgender identity in cyberspace |journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=824–838 |doi=10.1111/jcc4.12081 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Stitt">{{Cite book |title=ACT For Gender Identity: The Comprehensive Guide |last=Stitt |first=Alex |date=2020 |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |isbn=978-1785927997 |location=London |oclc=1089850112}}</ref> But, while many trans people find support online that they may not have in real life, others encounter bullying and harassment. According to a study published by Blumenfeld and Cooper in 2012,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=Robyn M. |last2=Blumenfeld |first2=Warren J. |date=April 2012 |title=Responses to Cyberbullying: A Descriptive Analysis of the Frequency of and Impact on LGBT and Allied Youth |journal=Journal of LGBT Youth |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=153–177 |doi=10.1080/19361653.2011.649616 |s2cid=144818660 |issn=1936-1653}}</ref> youth who identify as LGBT are 22 percent less likely to report online bullying because they may have parents who do not believe or understand them, or they fear having to come out in order to explain the incident. This further shows the barriers that trans individuals can have when coming out.

Coming out as transgender can be more complex than coming out as a sexual minority. Visible changes that can occur as part of changing one's gender identity{{Snd}}such as wardrobe changes, [[Medicine:Transgender hormone therapy|hormone replacement therapy]], and name changes{{Snd}}can make coming out to other people less of a choice. Further, elements that accompany a change in gender can have financial, physical, medical, and legal implications. Additionally, transgender individuals can experience prejudice and rejection from sexual minorities and others in the LGBT community, in addition to the larger LGBT bias they can face from mainstream culture, which can feel isolating.<ref name="Stitt" />

== Legal issues ==

In areas of the world where homosexual acts are penalized or prohibited, gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people can suffer negative legal consequences for coming out. In particular, where homosexuality is a crime, coming out may constitute self-incrimination. These laws still exist in 75 countries worldwide, including Egypt, Iran, and Afghanistan.

People who decide to come out as non-binary or transgender often face more varied and different issues from a legal standpoint. Worldwide, legally changing your documented gender or name based on your identity is often prohibited or extremely difficult.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/publications/license-be-yourself |title=The Best Ways to Achieve Trans Equality |website=www.opensocietyfoundations.org |access-date=20 November 2019}}</ref> A major negative effect of the inequality in regulations comes in the form of mental effects, as transgender people who have to legally announce a gender they do not identify with or their dead name can face uncomfortable situations and stress.

== Effects ==
In the early stages of the LGBT identity development process, people can feel confused and undergo turmoil. In 1993, Michelangelo Signorile wrote ''Queer in America'', in which he explored the harm caused both to a closeted person and to society in general by being closeted.<ref>re-released in 2003 by University of Wisconsin Press, {{ISBN|0-299-19374-8}}</ref>

Because LGBT people have historically been marginalized as sexual minorities, coming out of the closet remains a challenge for most of the world's LGBT population and can lead to a [[Social:Backlash (sociology)|backlash]] of heterosexist discrimination and [[Social:Violence against LGBT people|homophobic violence]].

Studies have found that concealing sexual orientation is related to poorer mental health,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pachankis |first=John E. |date=2007 |title=The psychological implications of concealing a stigma: A cognitive-affective-behavioral model. |journal=Psychological Bulletin |volume=133 |issue=2 |pages=328–345 |doi=10.1037/0033-2909.133.2.328 |pmid=17338603 |s2cid=12836716 |issn=1939-1455}}</ref> physical health,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cole |first1=Steve W. |last2=Kemeny |first2=Margaret E. |last3=Taylor |first3=Shelley E. |last4=Visscher |first4=Barbara R. |date=1996 |title=Elevated physical health risk among gay men who conceal their homosexual identity. |journal=Health Psychology |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=243–251 |doi=10.1037/0278-6133.15.4.243 |pmid=8818670 |issn=0278-6133}}</ref> and relationship functioning. For example, it has been found that same-sex couples who have not come out are not as satisfied in their relationships as same-sex couples who have.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=2392712 |year=1990 |last1=Berger |first1=RM |title=Passing: Impact on the quality of same-sex couple relationships |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=328–32 |journal=Social Work}}</ref> Findings from another study indicate that the fewer people who know about a lesbian's sexual orientation, the more anxiety, less positive affectivity, and lower self-esteem she has.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=9524921 |year=1998 |last1=Jordan |first1=KM |last2=Deluty |first2=RH |title=Coming out for lesbian women: Its relation to anxiety, positive affectivity, self-esteem, and social support |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=41–63 |doi=10.1300/J082v35n02_03 |journal=Journal of Homosexuality}}</ref>  Further, Gay.com states that closeted individuals are reported to be at increased risk for [[Medicine:Suicide|suicide]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2007%2F05%2F04%2F1 |title=Study: Closeted men at suicide risk |date=4 May 2007 |website=Gay.com |access-date=21 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070506131301/http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2007%2F05%2F04%2F1 |archive-date=6 May 2007}}</ref>

Depending on the relational bond between parents and children, a child coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender can be positive or negative. Strong, loving relationships between children and their parents may be strengthened but if a relationship is already strained, those relationships may be further damaged or destroyed by the child coming out.<ref name="Nielsen2012">{{cite book |author=Linda Nielsen |title=Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E0BLxVDTpOoC&pg=PA256 |access-date=25 October 2012 |date=4 May 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-84872-933-9 |page=255}}</ref> If people coming out are accepted by their parents, it allows open discussions of dating and relationships and enables parents to help their children with coping with discrimination and to make healthier decisions regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.<ref name="LamannaRiedmann2011">{{cite book |author1=Mary Ann Lamanna |author2=Agnes Riedmann |author3=Ann Strahm |title=Marriages, Families, and Relationships: Making Choices in a Diverse Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=heu0KLoVVnMC&pg=PA265 |access-date=25 October 2012 |date=1 January 2011 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1-111-30154-5 |page=265}}</ref> Because parents, families, and close others can also reject someone coming out, the LGBT individual may not always enjoy positive effects from the decision.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Legate |first1=Nicole |last2=Ryan |first2=Richard M. |last3=Weinstein |first3=Netta |date=March 2012 |title=Is Coming Out Always a "Good Thing"? Exploring the Relations of Autonomy Support, Outness, and Wellness for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals |journal=Social Psychological and Personality Science |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=145–152 |doi=10.1177/1948550611411929 |s2cid=52215152 |issn=1948-5506}}</ref> For example, teens who had parents who rejected them when they came out showed more drug use, depression, suicide attempts, and risky sexual behaviors later on as young adults.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ryan |first1=C. |last2=Huebner |first2=D. |last3=Diaz |first3=R. M. |last4=Sanchez |first4=J. |s2cid=33361972 |date=1 January 2009 |title=Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults |journal=Pediatrics |volume=123 |issue=1 |pages=346–352 |doi=10.1542/peds.2007-3524 |issn=0031-4005 |pmid=19117902}}</ref> Some studies find that the health effects of coming out depend more on the reactions of parents than on the disclosure itself.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=D'Augelli |first=Anthony R |date=1 July 2002 |title=Mental Health Problems among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths Ages 14 to 21 |journal=Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=433–456 |doi=10.1177/1359104502007003039 |issn=0000-0000}}</ref>

A number of studies have been done on the effect of people coming out to their parents. A 1989 report by Robinson et al. of parents of out gay and lesbian children in the United States found that 21 percent of fathers and 28 percent of mothers had suspected that their child was gay or lesbian, largely based on gender atypical behaviour during childhood. The 1989 study found that two-thirds of parents reacted negatively.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Robinson |first=BE |author2=Walters, LH |author3=Skeen, P |title=Response of parents to learning that their child is homosexual and concern over AIDS: a national study. |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |year=1989 |volume=18 |issue=1–2 |pages=59–80 |pmid=2794499 |doi=10.1300/j082v18n01_03}}<!-- |access-date=6 October 2013--></ref> A 1995 study (that used young people's reactions) found that half of the mothers of gay or bisexual male college students "responded with disbelief, denial or negative comments", while fathers reacted slightly better. 18 percent of parents reacted "with acts of intolerance, attempts to convert the child to heterosexuality, and verbal threats to cut off financial or emotional support".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Savin-Williams |first=Ritch |author2=Eric M. Dubé |title=Parental Reactions to Their Child's Disclosure of a Gay/Lesbian Identity |journal=Family Relations |date=January 1998 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=7–13 |doi=10.2307/584845 |jstor=584845}}</ref>

If rejected by their families, many LGBT youth can become homeless during the coming out process. LGBT youth are among the largest population of homeless youth; this has typically been caused by the reaction of others, especially parents, to self-identification and acknowledgment of being gay, or identifying with the LGBT community.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tierney |first1=William G. |last2=Ward |first2=James Dean |date=December 2017 |title=Coming Out and Leaving Home: A Policy and Research Agenda for LGBT Homeless Students |journal=Educational Researcher |volume=46 |issue=9 |pages=498–507 |doi=10.3102/0013189x17733964 |s2cid=148753736 |issn=0013-189X}}</ref> About 20 to 30 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Choi |first1=Soon Kyu |last2=Wilson |first2=Bianca DM |last3=Shelton |first3=Jama |last4=Gates |first4=Gary J |website=eScholarship |date=1 June 2015 |title=Serving Our Youth 2015: The Needs and Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Experiencing Homelessness |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1pd9886n}}</ref> Native and Indigenous LGBTQ youth make up the largest population to suffer homelessness: 44 percent, compared to any other race.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=February 3, 2023 |title=Homelessness and Housing Instability Among LGBTQ Youth |url=https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/homelessness-and-housing-instability-among-lgbtq-youth-feb-2022/ |access-date=March 28, 2023 |website=The Trevor Project}}</ref> 55 percent of homeless LGBTQ and 67 percent of homeless transgender youth were forced out of their homes by their parents or ran away because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.<ref name=":0" /> Compared to transgender women and non-binary youth, transgender men have the highest percentage of housing instability.<ref name=":2" /> Homelessness among LGBT youth also affects many areas of an individual's life, leading to higher rates of victimization, depression, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and participation in more illegal and dangerous activities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Reck |first=Jen |date=20 July 2009 |title=Homeless Gay and Transgender Youth of Color in San Francisco: "No One Likes Street Kids"—Even in the Castro |journal=Journal of LGBT Youth |volume=6 |issue=2–3 |pages=223–242 |doi=10.1080/19361650903013519 |s2cid=143765694 |issn=1936-1653}}</ref> A 2016 study on homelessness pathways among Latino LGBT youth found that homelessness among LGBT individuals can also be attributed to structural issues such as systems of care, and sociocultural and economic factors.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Castellanos |first=H. Daniel |date=26 October 2015 |title=The Role of Institutional Placement, Family Conflict, and Homosexuality in Homelessness Pathways Among Latino LGBT Youth in New York City |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |volume=63 |issue=5 |pages=601–632 |doi=10.1080/00918369.2015.1111108 |issn=0091-8369 |pmc=4930864 |pmid=26503713}}</ref>

New data was collected by Amit Paley, the CEO and executive director of the Trevor Project, in regards to how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the LGBTQ youth. The 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health shows that COVID-19 had made 80 percent of the LGBTQ youth housing situation much more stressful due to economic struggles, initially affecting their ability to have safe and secure housing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paley |first=Amit |date=2021 |title=National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021 |url=https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2021/?section=Introduction |website=The Trevor Project}}</ref>

Jimmie Manning performed a study in 2015 on positive and negative behavior performed during the coming out conversation. During his study, he learned that almost all of his participants would  attribute negative behaviors only to themselves during the coming out conversations, and positive behaviors to the recipient of the conversation. Manning suggests further research into this to figure out a way for positive behaviors to be seen and performed equally by both the recipient and the individual coming out.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Manning |first1=Jimmie |title=Positive and Negative Communicative Behaviors in Coming-out Conversations |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |date=2015 |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=61–97 |doi=10.1080/00918369.2014.957127 |pmid=25153806 |s2cid=11388612}}</ref>

== In/out metaphors ==

=== Dichotomy ===
The closet narrative sets up an implicit dualism between being "in" or being "out", wherein those who are "in" are often stigmatized as living false, unhappy lives.<ref>Seidman, Meeks, and Traschen (1999)</ref> Likewise, philosopher and critical analyst [[Biography:Judith Butler|Judith Butler]] (1991) states that the ''in/out'' metaphor creates a binary opposition which pretends that the closet is dark, marginal, and false, and that being out in the "light of illumination" reveals a true (or essential) identity. Nonetheless, Butler is willing to appear at events as a lesbian and maintains that "it is possible to argue that&nbsp;... there remains a political imperative to use these necessary errors or [[Category mistake|category mistake]]s&nbsp;... to rally and represent an oppressed political constituency".

=== Criticisms ===
Diana Fuss (1991) explains, "the problem of course with the inside/outside rhetoric&nbsp;... is that such polemics disguise the fact that most of us are both inside and outside at the same time". Further, "To be out, in common gay parlance, is precisely to be no longer out; to be out is to be finally outside of exteriority and all the exclusions and deprivations such outsiderhood imposes. Or, put another way, to be out is really to be in—inside the realm of the visible, the speakable, the culturally intelligible." In other words, coming out constructs the closet it supposedly destroys and the self it supposedly reveals, "the first appearance of the homosexual as a 'species' rather than a 'temporary aberration' also marks the moment of the homosexual's disappearance—into the closet".

Furthermore, Seidman, Meeks, and Traschen (1999) argue that "the closet" may be becoming an antiquated metaphor in the lives of modern-day Americans for two reasons.
# Homosexuality is becoming increasingly normalized, and the shame and secrecy often associated with it appears to be in decline.
# The metaphor of the closet hinges upon the notion that stigma management is a way of life.  However, stigma management may  increasingly be done according to varied situations.

== National Coming Out Day ==
<!-- Commented out: [[File:Logo ncod lg.png|thumb|National Coming Out Day logo, designed by artist Keith Haring.]] -->

Observed annually on 11 October,<ref name="HRC_NCOD">{{cite web |title=History of National Coming Out Day |publisher=Human Rights Campaign |url=http://www.hrc.org/issues/3338.htm   | access-date = 17 October 2008 | url-status = dead   | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081012081415/http://www.hrc.org/issues/3338.htm   | archive-date = 12 October 2008}}</ref> by members of the [[Social:LGBT community|LGBT communities]] and their allies, National Coming Out Day is an international civil awareness day for coming out and discussing LGBT issues among the general populace in an effort to give a familiar face to the [[Social:LGBT social movements|LGBT rights movement]]. This day inspired the United States government to recognize October as LGBT History Month. 

The day was founded in 1988, by Robert Eichberg, his partner William Gamble, and Jean O'Leary to celebrate the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights one year earlier, in which 500,000 people marched on Washington, DC, to promote gay and lesbian equality. 

In the United States, the Human Rights Campaign manages the event under the National Coming Out Project, offering resources to LGBT individuals, couples, parents, and children, as well as straight friends and relatives, to promote awareness of [[Social:LGBT parenting|LGBT families]] living honest and open lives. Candace Gingrich became the spokesperson for the day in April 1995. Although still named "''National'' Coming Out Day", this day is observed in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland also on 11 October, and in the {{wipe|United Kingdom}} on 12 October. To celebrate National Coming Out Day on 11 October 2002, Human Rights Campaign released an album bearing the same title as that year's theme: ''Being Out Rocks''. Participating artists include Kevin Aviance, Janis Ian, k.d. lang, Cyndi Lauper, Sarah McLachlan, and Rufus Wainwright.

== Media ==

=== Highly publicized comings-out ===

==== Government officials and political candidates ====
*In 1983, US House representative Gerry Studds came out as a homosexual during the 1983 congressional page sex scandal.
*In 1987, Barney Frank, a United States House representative, publicly came out as gay,<ref>{{cite news |title=Representative Frank Discloses He Is Homosexual |date=31 May 1987 |access-date=19 October 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/31/us/representative-frank-discloses-he-is-homosexual.html |periodical={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206074505/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4DE163AF932A05756C0A961948260 |archive-date=6 December 2008}}</ref> the second member of the {{wipe|Massachusetts}} delegation to the United States Congress to do so.
*In 1988, Svend Robinson was the first member of House of Commons of Canada to come out.
*In 1999, Australian senator Brian Greig came out as being gay in his maiden speech to parliament, the first politician to do so in that country.
*In 2004, New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey announced his decision to resign and publicly came out as "a gay American".<ref name="affair">{{cite news |last=Kohen |first=Yael |date=13 August 2004 |title=McGreevey to Quit, Declares 'I Am a Gay American' |work=The New York Sun |url=http://www.nysun.com/article/245?page_no=2 |access-date=10 March 2008 |archive-date=13 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213070202/https://www.nysun.com/new-york/mcgreevey-to-quit-declares-i-am-a-gay-american/245/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="iamagayamerican">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/12/mcgreevey.transcript/ |title=McGreevey: 'I am a gay American' |work=CNN |date=13 August 2004 |access-date=10 March 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417032311/http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/12/mcgreevey.transcript/ |archive-date=17 April 2008}}</ref> He acknowledged having had an extramarital affair with a man, Golan Cipel, an Israeli citizen and veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces. As McGreevey had appointed him as the New Jersey homeland security adviser, he had created a conflict of interest with the affair.

==== Athletes ====
The first US professional team-sport athlete to come out was David Kopay, a former NFL running back who had played for five teams (San Francisco, Detroit, Washington, New Orleans and Green Bay) between 1964 and 1972. He came out in 1975 in an interview in the ''Washington Star''.<ref name=ESPN>{{cite news |title=The Brief History of Gay Athletes |publisher=ESPN |url=http://espn.go.com/otl/world/timeline.html |date=18 December 1998 |access-date=19 September 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710214050/http://espn.go.com/otl/world/timeline.html |archive-date=10 July 2009}}</ref> 

The first professional athlete to come out while still playing was Czech-American tennis player Martina Navratilova, who came out as a lesbian during an interview with ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}'' in 1981.<ref name="ESPN" /> English footballer Justin Fashanu came out in 1990 and was subject to homophobic taunts from spectators, opponents and teammates for the rest of his career.

In 1995 while at the peak of his playing career, Ian Roberts became the first high-profile Australian sports person and first rugby footballer in the world to come out as gay.<ref>{{cite web |last=Peter |first=O'Shea |title=Out of the field |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2WQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54 |work=The Advocate |publisher=Here Publishing |access-date=10 October 2011 |date=3 October 1995}}</ref> John Amaechi, who played in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers (as well as internationally with Panathinaikos BC of the Greek Basketball League and Kinder Bologna of the Italian Basketball League), came out in February 2007 on ESPN's ''Outside the Lines'' program. He also wrote a memoir, ''Man in the Middle'', published by ESPN Books, which explores his professional and personal life as a closeted basketball player. He was the first NBA player (former or current) to come out.

In 2008, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham became the first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He achieved this at the Beijing Olympics in the men's 10-meter platform event.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-28/macklemore-singing-at-gf-like-seeping-sewage-into-debutante-ball/8998442 |title=Macklemore singing at grand final like 'seeping sewage into debutante ball' |date=28 September 2017 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=7 May 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930031714/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-28/macklemore-singing-at-gf-like-seeping-sewage-into-debutante-ball/8998442 |archive-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>

The first Irish county GAA player to come out while still playing was hurler Dónal Óg Cusack in October 2009, in previews of his autobiography.<ref>{{cite news |title=I'm gay, reveals GAA star Donal Og Cusack in new autobiography |periodical=Belfast Telegraph |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/irsquom-gay-reveals-gaa-star-in-new-autobiography-14535587.html |date=19 October 2009 |access-date=28 February 2011}}</ref> Gareth Thomas, who played international rugby union and rugby league for Wales, came out in a ''Daily Mail'' interview in December 2009 near the end of his career.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Gary |date=3 May 2010 |title=Gareth Thomas&nbsp;... The Only Openly Gay Male Athlete |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1168953/9/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502020103/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1168953/9/index.htm |archive-date=2 May 2010}}</ref>

In 2013, American basketball player Jason Collins (a member of the Washington Wizards) came out as gay, becoming the first active male professional athlete in a major North American team sport to publicly come out as gay.

On 15 August 2013, WWE wrestler Darren Young came out, making him the first openly gay active professional wrestler.

On 9 February 2014, former Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam came out as gay. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams on 10 May 2014, with the 249th overall pick in the seventh round, making him the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL franchise. He was released by St. Louis and waived by the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. Sam was on the roster for the Montreal Alouettes, but has since retired from football.

On 21 June 2021, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib announced on his Instagram account that he is gay, becoming the first active NFL player to come out publicly.<ref>{{cite news |author=Price, Christopher |title=Raiders' Carl Nassib comes out as gay; is first active NFL player to do so |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/sports/raiders-carl-nassib-becomes-first-active-nfl-player-come-out-gay/ |work=The Boston Globe |date=21 June 2021 |access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Ken |last=Belson |title=Raiders' Carl Nassib Announces He's Gay, an N.F.L. First |date=21 June 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/sports/football/carl-nassib-gay-nfl.html?smid=tw-share |access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref>

In October 2021, professional soccer player Josh Cavallo came out as gay via videos posted to his team's social media accounts, becoming the only openly gay top-level professional soccer player in the world.<ref>{{cite tweet |number=1453173351396958208 |user=AdelaideUnited |title=Josh's Truth |date=27 October 2021}}</ref>

In May 2022, Blackpool F.C. forward Jake Daniels came out as gay, becoming the first active male British footballer to do so since Justin Fashanu in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jake Daniels: Blackpool forward becomes UK's first active male professional footballer to come out publicly as gay |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12614531/jake-daniels-blackpool-forward-becomes-uks-first-active-male-professional-footballer-to-come-out-publicly-as-gay |access-date=2023-10-13 |website=Sky Sports |language=en}}</ref>

In February 2023, Czech footballer Jakub Jankto, then a AC Sparta Prague midfielder on loan from Spanish side Getafe CF announced he was gay on [[Company:Twitter|Twitter]], becoming the first male footballer to come out while an active international player.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Czech midfielder Jankto comes out as gay |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64622199 |access-date=2023-10-13}}</ref>

==== Artists and entertainers ====
In 1997 on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', American comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian. Her real-life coming out was echoed in the sitcom ''Ellen'' in "The Puppy Episode", in which her character Ellen Morgan outs herself over the airport public address system.<!-- Commented out: [[File:Matlovich time cover.jpg|thumb|Leonard Matlovich on the cover of ''Time'' magazine, 1975]] -->

On 29 March 2010, Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin came out publicly in a post on his official web site, stating, "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."<ref>{{cite news |work=HuffPost |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ricky-martin-comes-out-im_n_517625 |title=Ricky Martin Comes Out: 'I'm A Fortunate Homosexual Man' |date=29 May 2010 | access-date=26 April 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410033735/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/29/ricky-martin-comes-out-im_n_517625.html | archive-date=10 April 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Martin said that "these years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/yep-hes-gay-ricky-martin-comes-out-of-the-closet-20100329 |title=Ricky Martin Comes Out of the Closet |date=29 March 2010 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016144159/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/yep-hes-gay-ricky-martin-comes-out-of-the-closet-20100329 |archive-date=16 October 2014}}</ref> Singer Adam Lambert came out after pictures of him kissing another man were publicly circulated while he was a participant on the eighth season of ''American Idol''. In January 2013, while accepting the honorary Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, American actress and director Jodie Foster made the first public acknowledgment of her sexual orientation, saying; "I already did my coming out a thousand years ago, in the Stone Age, in those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to friends and family and co-workers then gradually to everyone that knew her, everyone she actually met."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/jodie-fosters-stirring-golden-globes-411953/amp/ |title=Jodie Foster's Stirring Golden Globes Speech: 'I Already Did My Coming Out a Thousand Years Ago' (Video) |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=13 January 2013 |access-date=13 January 2013}}</ref>

==== Military personnel ====
In 1975, Leonard Matlovich, while serving in the {{wipe|United States Air Force}}, came out to challenge the US military's policies banning service by homosexuals. Widespread coverage included a ''{{wipe|Time (magazine)}}'' magazine cover story and a television movie on NBC.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19750908,00.html |title=I Am a Homosexual |magazine={{wipe|Time (magazine)}} |date=8 September 1975 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531205013/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19750908,00.html |archive-date=31 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Steve Kornacki |title=The Air Force vs. the 'practicing homosexual' |work=Salon.com |date=1 December 2010 |url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/12/01/matlovich_dadt |access-date=16 January 2012 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203223214/http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/12/01/matlovich_dadt |archive-date=3 December 2010}}</ref>

In 2011, as the US prepared to lift restrictions on service by openly gay people, Senior Airman Randy Phillips conducted a social media campaign to garner support for coming out. The video he posted on [[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] of the conversation in which he told his father he was gay went [[Finance:Viral video|viral]].<ref>NBC News: [http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44596987 "Soldier tells dad he's gay on YouTube", September 20, 2011], accessed 16 January 2012</ref> In one journalist's summation, he "masterfully used social media and good timing to place himself at the centre of a civil rights success story".<ref name=guelph>{{cite news |url=https://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/2762542-archie-comics-storyline-has-nothing-on-randy-phillips/ |title=Archie Comics' storyline has nothing on Randy Phillips |work=Guelph Mercury |date=29 September 2011 |access-date=16 January 2012}}</ref>

==== Pastors ====
In October 2010, megachurch pastor Bishop Jim Swilley came out to his congregation. The YouTube video of the service went [[Finance:Viral video|viral]]. Interviews with ''People'' magazine,<ref name="people.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20446976,00.html |title=Bishop Jim Swilley: A Minister Comes Out |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318114102/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20446976,00.html |archive-date=18 March 2016}}</ref> Joy Behar,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyU5wL9z4PA |title=Joy Behar Talks To Gay Bishop Jim Swilley & His Ex-Wife Debye Swilley |website=[[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717043309/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyU5wL9z4PA |archive-date=17 July 2016}}</ref> Don Lemon<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu0PONfKsEw |title=Don Lemon Talks To Gay Bishop Jim Swilley |publisher=CNN |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221161752/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu0PONfKsEw |archive-date=21 February 2015}}</ref> ABC News<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/megachurch-pastor-reveals-gay/story?id=12030163 |title=MegaChurch Pastor Declares He's Gay |work=ABC News |access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> and NPR<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2010/11/14/131312723/out-of-the-closet-in-the-pulpit-of-a-megachurch |title=Out Of The Closet&nbsp;... In The Pulpit Of A Megachurch |newspaper=NPR.org |publisher=NPR All Things Considered |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324000807/http://www.npr.org/2010/11/14/131312723/out-of-the-closet-in-the-pulpit-of-a-megachurch |archive-date=24 March 2016}}</ref> focused on  bullycides<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.queerty.com/georgia-megachurch-pastor-jim-swilley-im-gay-and-im-telling-you-because-of-those-bullycides-20101029 |title=Georgia Megachurch Pastor Jim Swilley: I'm Gay, And I'm Telling You Because Of Those Bullycides |magazine=Queerty |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322221330/http://www.queerty.com/georgia-megachurch-pastor-jim-swilley-im-gay-and-im-telling-you-because-of-those-bullycides-20101029 |archive-date=22 March 2016 |date=29 October 2010}}</ref> which Bishop Swilley said had prompted him to "come out". One year later, he confirmed the costs but also the freedom he has experienced. "To be able to have freedom is something that I wouldn't trade anything for."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thegavoice.com/gay-ga-mega-church-pastor-reflects-on-year-of-coming-out/ |title=Gay Ga. mega-church pastor reflects on year of coming out |publisher=The GAVoice |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323095255/http://thegavoice.com/gay-ga-mega-church-pastor-reflects-on-year-of-coming-out/ |archive-date=23 March 2016 |date=11 November 2011}}</ref> "Being married as yourself, preaching as yourself and living your life as yourself is infinitely better than doing those things as someone else."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thegavoice.com/the-swilleys-five-years-later/ |title=Five years later: The Swilleys on family, coming out and inclusive LGBT ministries |publisher=The GAVoice |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325183000/http://thegavoice.com/the-swilleys-five-years-later/ |archive-date=25 March 2016 |date=22 January 2016}}</ref> 

Bishop Swilley's son, Jared Swilley, bass player and front man of Black Lips, said, "It was definitely shocking, but I was actually glad when he told me. I feel closer to him now".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clatl.com/cribnotes/archives/2010/11/08/black-lips-swilley-discusses-fathers-recent-coming-out |title=Black Lips' Swilley discusses father's recent coming out |publisher=Creative Loafing Atlanta |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20101107000000/http://clatl.com/cribnotes/archives/2010/11/08/black-lips-swilley-discusses-fathers-recent-coming-out |archive-date=7 November 2010}}</ref> Bishop Swilley's second son, Judah Swilley, a cast member on the Oxygen show ''Preachers of Atlanta'', is confronting homophobia in the church.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxygen.com/preachers-of-atlanta/episode-guide |title=Preachers of Atlanta Episode Guide |access-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310214816/http://www.oxygen.com/preachers-of-atlanta/episode-guide |archive-date=10 March 2016 |date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

====Journalists====
In August 2019, Nicky Bandini, a sportswriter and broadcaster contributing at ''{{wipe|The Guardian}}'' and ESPN came out as transgender, saying that she had previously written under the name Paolo Bandini. She posted a [[Company:Twitter|Twitter]] video and published an opinion piece in ''The Guardian'', saying that it took her several years to come out as transgender. Bandini said she had dealt with [[Medicine:Gender dysphoria|gender dysphoria]] for three-and-a-half decades before finally admitting her status as a trans woman to the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/aug/16/im-nicky-bandini-and-im-still-a-sports-writer |title=I'm Nicky Bandini – and I'm still a sports writer |access-date=16 August 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>

=== Depictions of coming out ===

In 1987, a two-part episode of the Quebec television series ''Avec un grand A'', "Lise, Pierre et Marcel", depicted a married closeted man who has to come out when his wife discovers that he has been having an affair with another man. In 1996, the acclaimed British film ''Beautiful Thing'' had a positive take in its depiction of two teenage boys coming to terms with their sexual identity.

Author Rodger Streitmatter described Ellen DeGeneres's coming out in the media as well as a 1997 episode of ''Ellen'', "The Puppy Episode", as "rank[ing], hands down, as the single most public exit in gay history", changing media portrayals of lesbians in Western culture.<ref>Streitmatter, Rodger (2009). From 'Perverts' to 'Fab Five': The Media's Changing Depiction of Gay Men and Lesbians, Routledge. {{ISBN|0-7890-3670-3}}; p. 104.</ref> In 1999, Russell T Davies's ''Queer as Folk'', a popular TV series shown on the UK's Channel 4, debuted and focused primarily on the lives of young gay men; in particular on a 15-year-old going through the process of revealing his sexuality to those around him. This storyline was also featured prominently in the US version of ''Queer as Folk'', which debuted in 2000.

The television show ''The L Word'', which debuted in 2004, focuses on the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women. The theme of coming out is prominently featured in the storylines of multiple characters.

In the Emmy Award-nominated episode "Gay Witch Hunt" of ''The Office'', Michael inadvertently outs Oscar to the whole office.

''Coming Out'', which debuted in 2013, is the first Quebec television program about being gay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://info-culture.biz/2013/04/02/coming-out-premiere-serie-web-sur-lunivers-gai-quebecois/ |title=Coming out – Première série web sur l'univers gai québécois |work=Info-Culture.biz |access-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014184911/http://info-culture.biz/2013/04/02/coming-out-premiere-serie-web-sur-lunivers-gai-quebecois/ |archive-date=14 October 2014 |date=2 April 2013}}</ref>

Amazon's 2014 series ''Transparent'' features a trans woman who comes out to her adult children at the age of 75, and follows her social transition process.<ref name="Transparent TV series">{{Citation |title=Transparent (TV series) |date=2023-09-23 |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Transparent_(TV_series)&oldid=1176781646 |work=Wikipedia |access-date=2023-11-06 |language=en}}</ref> The show highlights various reactions from the woman's social circle to her coming out, as well as the many adjustments in language and gender expression that she uses to make her transition. Main character Maura is played by Jeffrey Tambor; the show was criticized by some for casting a cisgender man as a transgender woman.<ref name="Transparent TV series"/>

The third season of the Norwegian teen drama series ''Skam'', released in 2015, focused on a main character coming out and his relationship with another boy.

The film ''Love, Simon'', based on the book ''Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda'', debuted in 2018. It is the first major studio film about a gay teenager coming out.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/love-simon-review |title=Love, Simon Is a Charming Gay Studio Movie That Makes Us Hungry for More |last=Lawson |first=Richard |work=HWD |access-date=14 March 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329221724/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/love-simon-review |archive-date=29 March 2018}}</ref>

In 2020, a second adaption, called ''Love, Victor'', began airing on [[Software:Hulu|Hulu]]. The TV series refers to both the ''Love, Simon'' film and the ''Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda'' book. The series premiered its third season in 2022. The series continued and expanded its original story with another young and closeted student.

== Extended use in LGBT media, publishing and activism ==
"Out" is a common word or prefix used in the titles of LGBT-themed books, films, periodicals, organizations, and TV programs. Some high-profile examples are ''Out'' magazine, the defunct ''OutWeek'', and OutTV.

== Non-LGBT contexts ==
In political, casual, or even humorous contexts, "coming out" means by extension the self-disclosure of a person's secret behaviors, beliefs, affiliations, tastes, identities, and interests that may cause astonishment or bring [[Philosophy:Shame|shame]]. Some examples include: "coming out as an alcoholic",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2001/nov/03/weekend7.weekend6 |title=The show must go on |newspaper=Guardian |date=3 November 2001 |access-date=24 June 2009 |location=London |first=Louis |last=Theroux |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224171957/http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2001/nov/03/weekend7.weekend6 |archive-date=24 December 2013}}</ref> "coming out as a BDSM participant",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clarissethorn.com/2009/02/16/coming-out-bdsm-upsides-and-downsides/ |title=Coming out BDSM: upsides and downsides |work=Clarisse Thorn |access-date=8 October 2014 }}{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> "coming out of the broom closet" (as a [[Social:Witchcraft|witch]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2090966/ |title=How do I tell my family I'm a Wiccan? |publisher=Slate.com |date=4 December 2003 |access-date=24 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610151212/http://www.slate.com/id/2090966/ |archive-date=10 June 2009}}</ref> "coming out as a conservative",<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040203-103504-2926r.htm |title=Coming-out day for conservatives |work=The Washington Times |date=2004 |first=Valerie |last=Richardson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206100727/http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040203-103504-2926r.htm |archive-date=6 February 2007}}</ref> "coming out as disabled",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/15528 |title=Coming out as disabled |publisher=Ekklesia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627142409/http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/15528 |archive-date=27 June 2015 |date=10 October 2011 |access-date=22 January 2015}}</ref> "coming out as a liberal",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newhampshirelakesandmountains.com/pdf/BAY.2012.08.30.pdf |title=Layout 1 (Page A1) |access-date=13 September 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102092533/http://www.newhampshirelakesandmountains.com/pdf/BAY.2012.08.30.pdf |archive-date=2 November 2014}}</ref> "coming out as [[Biology:Intersex|intersex]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/la-radio-host-who-came-out-intersex-and-why-no-one-gossiped180713 |title=The LA radio host who came out as intersex and why no one gossiped |work=Gay Star News |access-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013081549/http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/la-radio-host-who-came-out-intersex-and-why-no-one-gossiped180713 |archive-date=13 October 2014 |date=18 July 2013}}</ref> "coming out as [[Medicine:Dissociative identity disorder|multiple]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.2multiples.com/compd/ |title=COMPD&nbsp;– Introduction |publisher=2multiples.com |access-date=24 June 2009}} {{dead link|date=July 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> "coming out as [[Social:Polyamory|polyamorous]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m.nationalreview.com/article/380609/polyamorists-come-out-closet-celina-durgin |title=Polyamorists Come Out of the Closet – National Review Online |work=National Review Online |access-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006085106/http://m.nationalreview.com/article/380609/polyamorists-come-out-closet-celina-durgin |archive-date=6 October 2014 |date=18 June 2014}}</ref> "coming out as a sex worker",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.xojane.com/issues/coming-out-of-the-hooker-closet |title=What It's Like to Come Out of the Hooker Closet |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014095839/http://www.xojane.com/issues/coming-out-of-the-hooker-closet |archive-date=14 October 2014 |access-date=9 December 2018}}</ref> and "coming out of the shadows" as an undocumented immigrant within the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Corrunker |first=Laura |date=1 January 2012 |title="Coming Out of the Shadows": DREAM Act Activism in the Context of Global Anti-Deportation Activism |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/480726 |journal=Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=143–168 |issn=1543-0367 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919195021/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/480726 |archive-date=19 September 2016 |doi=10.2979/indjglolegstu.19.1.143 |s2cid=154084010}}</ref> The term is also used by members of online [[Medicine:Body integrity dysphoria|body integrity dysphoria]] communities to refer to the process of telling friends and families about their condition.

With its associated metaphors, the figure of speech has also been extended to [[Philosophy:Atheism|atheism]], e.g., "coming out as an atheist".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://media.www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2007/09/27/News/U.s-Rep.Pete.Stark.comes.Out.As.An.Atheist-3000553.shtml |title=U.S. Rep. Pete Stark "Comes Out" as an Atheist |newspaper=Harvard Law Record |access-date=24 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604153603/http://media.www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2007/09/27/News/U.s-Rep.Pete.Stark.comes.Out.As.An.Atheist-3000553.shtml |archive-date=4 June 2009}}</ref> A public awareness initiative for [[Philosophy:Freethought|freethought]] and atheism, entitled the "[[Philosophy:Out Campaign|Out Campaign]]", makes ample use of the "out" metaphor.<ref name="rd-out-annouce">{{cite web |url=http://richarddawkins.net/article,1471,The-Out-Campaign,Richard-Dawkins |title=The Out Campaign (original announcement) |work=The Official Richard Dawkins Website  |access-date=30 December 2007 |date=30 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430213003/http://richarddawkins.net/article%2C1471%2CThe-Out-Campaign%2CRichard-Dawkins  |archive-date=30 April 2008}}</ref> This campaign was initiated by Robin Elisabeth Cornwell, and is endorsed by prominent atheist [[Biography:Richard Dawkins|Richard Dawkins]], who states "there is a big closet population of atheists who need to 'come out{{'"}}.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2180660,00.html |title=Atheists arise: Dawkins spreads the A-word among America's unbelievers |author=MacAskill, Ewen |date=1 October 2007 |access-date=30 December 2007 |publisher=The Guardian |work=Guardian Unlimited |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222040653/http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2180660,00.html |archive-date=22 December 2007}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Social:Biphobia|Biphobia]]
* Down-low (sexual slang)
* [[Medicine:Ego-dystonic sexual orientation|Ego-dystonic sexual orientation]]
* Intersex and LGBT
* [[Social:Labeling theory|Labeling theory]]
* [[Social:Liberal homophobia|Liberal homophobia]]
* Questioning (sexuality and gender)
* [[Social:Terminology of homosexuality|Terminology of homosexuality]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Argent, Jay (2017) ''Coming Out: High School Boys Share Their Stories''. [Charleston]: CreateSpace Independent Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1547151936}}
* Beasley, Neil (2016) ''Football's Coming Out: Life as a Gay Fan and Player''. [London]: Floodlit Dreams Ltd. {{ISBN|978-0992658564}}
* Berube, Allan (2010) ''Coming Out under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two'' (2nd edition). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. {{ISBN|978-0807871775}}
* Blaschke, Ronny (2008) ''Versteckspieler: Die Geschichte des schwulen Fußballers Marcus Urban''. Göttingen: Verlag Die Werkstatt. {{ISBN|978-3895336119}}
* Dossie Easton, Catherine A. Liszt, ''When Someone You Love Is Kinky''. Greenery Press, 2000. {{ISBN|1-890159-23-9}}.
* Kinsella, Vinne (2016) ''Fashionably Late: Gay, Bi, and Trans Men Who Came Out Later in Life''. Portland: Eldredge Books {{ISBN|978-0997749106}}
* LaSala, Michael (2010) ''Coming Out, Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust to a Gay or Lesbian Child''. New York: Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|978-0231143837}} 
*{{cite book |last1=McCall Tigert |first1=Leanne |last2=Brown |first2=Timothy |title=Coming Out Young and Faithful |date=2001 |publisher=Pilgrim Press |location=Cleveland, Ohio |isbn=9780829814149 |oclc=45958034 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780829814149}}
* Rogers, Robbie; Marcus, Eric (2014) ''Coming Out to Play''. London: The Robson Press. {{ISBN|978-1849547208}}
* Seidman, Steven. ''Beyond the Closet: The Transformation of Gay and Lesbian Life''. Routledge, 2003. {{ISBN|0-415-93207-6}}.
* Stramel, James. ''Gay Virtue: The Ethics of Disclosure''. Dissertation, University of Southern California, 1996.



[[Category:LGBT and society]]

{{Sourceattribution|Coming out}}