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Dr. Laura Riss discusses GLB Concerns.
Coming Out: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual (GLB) Concerns
Coming out is a process. It first means coming to
terms with your own sexual identity with the realization
that feelings you've had for some time (months or years)
make sense if you can define them as gay, lesbian, or
bisexual. The next step is deciding to share your sexual
orientation with others, and if so, with whom.
Because heterosexuality is presented overwhelmingly as
the norm in the U.S. culture, it is important to find
the help you need from resources available to you.
There are many groups and other resources that can help
with the coming out process. A quick search on the
internet can turn up over one million resources for
coming out.
Once you accept that you are Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual,
you can decide to come out to others or stay in the
closet. For most people, coming out is a lifetime
process. In any new situation or relationship, you
will have to decide how to be. You are the only
person who can decide if a time or place or people are
safe for you to come out to. Regardless of your
decision to come out or stay in the closet, you will
have concerns to deal with. If you come out, you
may risk alienation or abandonment from important people
in your life. If you decide to be in the closet,
you will have to deal with the worries that someone else
will 'out' you as well as the issues involved with being
in the closet.
These decisions are not easy ones to make and are life
altering. Often, therapy can be a place to explore
these issues and come to a better understanding about
who you are and what is best for you. Studies have
shown GLB people who are out have fewer mental health
issues than those who are not.
Safe Zone
Safe Zone seeks to form a network of students,
faculty and staff committed and trained to provide safe,
non-judgmental and supportive contacts for community
members who may be dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and/or questioning issues.
Other FAQs and Explanations
General
FAQ
Symptoms FAQ
Eating Disorders
Adult Survivor of Child Abuse
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