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1. The Wellness Center

2. Safe Zone

3. Coming Out

   1. To Oneself
   2. To GLBT Community
   3. To Heterosexuals
   4. Considerations
   5. When Someone Comes Out to You

4. Back to
   Safe Zone

Coming Out

For gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people, coming out is a process of understanding, accepting, and valuing one's sexual orientation and identity. Coming out includes both exploring one’s identity and sharing that identity with others. It also involves coping with societal responses and attitudes toward GLBT people. GLBT individuals are forced to come to terms with what it means to be different in a society that tends to assume everyone to be heterosexual and that tends to judge differences from the norm in negative ways. The coming out process is very personal. This process happens in different ways and occurs at different ages for different people. Some people are aware of their sexual identity at an early age; others arrive at this awareness only after many years. Coming out is a continuing, sometimes lifelong, process.

More Information About Coming Out

• To Oneself
• To the GLBT Community
• To Heterosexuals
• Considerations
• When Someone Comes Out to You

Page updated: 27-Jun-2009

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