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Jennifer Patterson, LMFT, ATR-BC
Art Therapist
Life can be messy. Sometimes you need a little support to make your way through it. I love to help guide people through their challenges & to find the beauty in our messes.
Top Rated Answers
Not at all! The only person who needs to know who you are is you! Come out to people who you are comfortable around, and for the rest, who cares? They don't need to know!
You don't. It is well within your right to come out to whoever you want, especially if you live in a country where LGTBA people are heavily discriminated agaisnt. All reasons are valid for not coming out, from "I'm afraid I'll get beaten up" to "I just don't feel like telling them". You're not and shouldn't be forced to disclose any information about yourself. Besides, it's their fault for assuming you're not LGTBA in the first place :)
I don't believe that you have to come out to everyone. Coming out should be your personal choice and if you choose not to tell somebody, that is your choice. I like to personally come out to everyone because I am very comfortable with it and I feel like people should no who I really am.
I think that can be a personal choice. Choosing to come out to your professional colleagues or your personal social circle depends on the individual. You can choose to be as open or as private about your life as you are comfortable with. There is no right or wrong answer.
Anonymous
April 10th, 2015 1:04am
Not everyone, only if you want to. If you feel like you want to come out to everyone then do! Only if you feel safe in your area however. But there's nothing wrong with not telling everyone, keeping it to family and friends is perfectly fine!
No, you don't! You only have to come out when you want it, and not everyone has to know your sexual orientation.
Certainly not! You are not responsible for explaining your own private life and preferences to the world! And not everyone needs to know anyway. You are free to pick and choose who you want to come out to! It's all about your level of comfort!
No. Everyone does not need to know. Come out to only those that you are comfortable with and that you personally trust.
No, not necessarily. Who you come out to is a decision that is entirely up to you. It's your personal choice to decide whether you want everyone to know, or just some people, be it your friends, your family or whoever you want. There's nothing wrong about not wanting everyone to know, there can be many reasons for it, and you're not obliged to say it if you don't want to, since it is something that concerns yourself and you don't owe this information to anyone. The choices about coming out are the most personal, and should be totally free.
You absolutely do not have to come out to everyone. Coming out is a very personal choice that is up to you. It’s important to remember that people you trust are safe bets when coming out, and they should also be people who are both close to you and comfortable with accepting you for you. Like other personal information, you may not be comfortable with sharing the details of your coming out online. That’s perfectly fine. Some people would like everyone to know that they are a certain gender/identity or orientation, others would not. Ultimately, if it is in a safe situation and feels right to you, go ahead and come out. I hope this helps!
Anonymous
February 24th, 2015 11:01am
No, you do not have to come out to everyone. In fact, you don't need to come out to anyone. If you so not ready, it might not be the right time for you to come out. Coming out is not easy and it is really terrifying at first. Once you start telling people, it will get easier. You can't come out to everyone in one day. You will be coming out for the rest of your life to new people. If you don't trust someone or you feel that the person you want to tell will put you in any danger for coming out, maybe it is best not to tell that person.
Anonymous
March 11th, 2015 4:14pm
You don't have to come out to anyone you don't want to. You only have to come out to people you're comfortable with knowing and you want to know.
Anonymous
April 16th, 2015 11:55pm
No, you don't You're gender and sexuality is your own business. Once you're able to accept yourself and come out to those closest to you, nothing else really matters.
Anonymous
April 25th, 2015 11:33pm
No not if you don't feel like it. Take your time and do it how you want it to. Its only you who can make that decion
No, Of course not! Come out to the people you want to come out to. Come out only when you're ready. Come out at your own pace. Do whatever is comfortable for you ^.^ you are very brave for considering coming out!
"Coming out" to anyone is your own personal choice. You absolutely don't have to reveal everything about yourself to anyone that you happen to come across. Choose the people you're comfortable with and choose what you're comfortable sharing. You're life is your own, make it truly yours.
You only have to come out to people you're comfortable with when you feel like you're ready to do it. There is no pressure, go at your own pace.
Coming out to whoever you want to totally up to you. You should never let any pressure for you to or not to come out. Once you decide what your sexuality is, then the next step is figuring out who you want to come out to. If you are scared to tell everybody and would rather just tell the people you trust, thats fine!
You never have to come out if you don't want to. It's a personal choice and it's entirely up to you who to come out to and when.
Nope! It's not really necessary to tell anyone, really. You can only tell people you deem worthy of knowing, if that's how you'd like to do it. I've only told my closest friends. No family, co-workers, bosses, etc. Coming out is a constant and tiring thing to do, anyway.
No, you don't have to come out to everyone. Coming out (or not) is your choice and you can decide to tell everyone or nobody or just a few people. The life is yours and you must not feel like you owe people an explanation for who you decide to love or who and how you decide to be.
You never need to tell everyone of what your sexuality and/or gender is. It's best to tell the amount of people you are comfortable with, you are not obligated in any way to have to tell everyone including your parents.
No, it is completely your choice when you come out, and who you come out to. You can do it whenever you feel comfortable to, just take your time.
Anonymous
October 31st, 2015 2:58pm
No, of course not! Coming out is a personal choice, and it's totally up to you whether to come out or not. The most important thing is to make sure you feel comfortable and safe, and if coming out will make you feel better, go for it, but if it doesn't, you have zero obligation.
No you do it to who you feel comfortable telling....in time that may result in more people knowing
Its never something you should feel you have to do or feel pressured into doing
I think for most people when they are in a committed relationship they do end up coming out as they want people to know they are in love
Anonymous
November 23rd, 2015 4:37am
No it's not necessary to come out to everyone. Tell who you trust, it's not everyone's business to know who you love. Their opinion of you shouldn't change because of you're sexuality.
You definitely don't have to come out to everyone. Its a personal decision and if you don't want to, are not comfortable, or if its not safe those are all valid reasons to not come out to everyone. Coming out can be a great thing for me it helps me live more genuinely as the person I am and share that truth with those I care about. But there are still people in my life that I am not out to. That is my personal decision and it should be respected.
I don't think you HAVE to. I mean, I did to my friends and my grandmother but never anyone else.
Of course you don't. You don't have to do anything that will make you feel uncomfortable or vulnerable. Your sexuality is your business, and the people you share that with is up to you.
No, not at all. It's completely up to you who to come out to or not come out to. I would suggest only coming out to people you feel comfortable with and know will be accepting of your sexual orientation, at least to start with.
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