Coming Out

Coming out of the closet, often shortened to "coming out" is a term in the LGBT+ Community that refers to finding one's identity and notifying close friends and loved ones about it. Sometimes, the process can extend beyond close ones and into the common public. There are different steps to coming out that seem difficult to fulfill first, but a large portion of LGBT+ people agree that coming out to your family is deeply important. However, not everyone is bound to be supportive, since homophobia and anti-LGBT+ movements are common in the world today. Many LGBT+ people stay "in the closet" for years or maybe for even their whole lives if they do not find their identity and doubt that their families will accept them. Coming out of the closet can be seen as a metaphor, too.