9781422283769

CONTENTS

Foreword by Kevin Jennings, Founder, GLSEN ........................................... 8

1 What It Means to Come Out ........................................................................ 11 What Is Coming Out? ........................................................................................... 12 Close-up: Coming Out as a Process .................................................................. 14 Feeling Proud—and Vulnerable ........................................................................... 15 Telling Friends ........................................................................................................ 15 Family Reactions ................................................................................................... 17 Fear of Coming Out .............................................................................................. 18 Close-up: Coming Out As a Teen (or Younger) ................................................ 19 Risks and Repercussions .................................................................................... 20 The Greatest Danger: Not Coming Out ............................................................ 20 Coming Out for Social Change .......................................................................... 21 Privacy versus Progress ...................................................................................... 22 2 Sarah’s Story ................................................................................................... 27 “It’s Just a Phase” ................................................................................................ 28 Trying to Be “Normal” .......................................................................................... 29 A Betrayal of Trust ................................................................................................ 30 Seeking Allies—and Acceptance ....................................................................... 32 Close-up: Coming Out on the Internet .............................................................. 34 3 Ed’s Story .......................................................................................................... 37 Spending Decades in the Closet ....................................................................... 38 Torn Between Faith and Feeling ......................................................................... 40 Coming Out to God .............................................................................................. 40 Close-up: Coming Out to Immigrant Parents ................................................... 41 Learning from Someone Else’s Regrets ............................................................ 42