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FAQs > What kinds of things might a person who is LGBT go through when "coming out"?
- What kinds of things might a person who is LGBT go through when "coming out"?
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Because of the difficulty of growing up in a largely homophobic
society, people who are LGBT may experience guilt, isolation,
depression, suicidal feelings, and low self-esteem. As people
who are LGBT become more in touch with their sexual orientation,
they may experience any number of these thoughts and feelings to
any degree. On the positive side, coming out can be an
extremely liberating experience as people who are LGBT learn who
they are, gain respect for themselves, and find friends to relate
to. Coming out to others can be an anxious process, as the
individual worries about possibilities of rejection, ridicule, and
loss of family, friends, and jobs. For students, college life
is already stress filled, and adding the process of grappling with
one’s sexual identity to that mix can be overwhelming.