LGBTQ+ People Are Always Coming Out

Even years later, I still have to walk out of the closet

Unsplash

When people talk about “coming out”, they’re usually talking about it as if it’s one time — one instance where you’ve got to pull off the band-aid, face the potential backlash, and then move on.

The truth is a little more complicated than that.

The “big coming out” and then what follows

I came out at sixteen. This was the moment I told my parents, most of my siblings, and a few close friends that I was bisexual. For me, this was the big coming out — not only was I telling a large number of people all at the same time but I was no longer pretending to be straight. It marked the beginning of living openly as a bisexual woman.

After dealing with some of the initial backlash or general discomfort I received in response, I kind of thought that was it. I’d come out, did the hard part — case closed.

What I didn’t realize is that I wasn’t done coming out — in fact, I’d continue to come out again and again over the years.

The “little coming outs”

The little coming outs, as I call them, happen after you’ve had your big coming out. Maybe you’ve met a new friend or started a new job…