Scared to come out to my parents (female, 22)
Hi everyone,
I could really use some support and advice right now. I have been out with my friends for years, and recently (a year or two ago) came out to my sister. I have had a super positive experience coming out as bisexual to all of those people (particularly because I went to school at a pretty liberal university and had some amazing friends) and have received a lot of support from them. I still have been scared to come out to my parents - my mom makes comments pretty frequently about my bisexual friends (the classic 'are you sure she just isn't gay?' type of nonsense) and my dad is more conservative. Not to the point of coming out being unsafe, but I'm just extremely nervous and scared to come out to them.
I am graduating uni now and for the time being, I'm moving back in with my parents (yay covid-19). I really feel like I want to tell them, but I'm just so scared and nervous to be invalidated and for the family dynamic to change drastically.
Has anyone else been through anything similar? Any tips to help me work up the courage?
Thanks everyone and I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe :)
Posted Apr 22, 2020, 4:21 AM UTC
19M here. I personally came out to both of my parents individually (my mom is very conservative and traditional). Some people come out to both of their parents at the same time but that is A LOT of pressure and I think even scarier. I also started out talking with when I first started developing feelings for a guy and then explained how I took the time to realize I liked both. The biggest argument against the “Its just a phase” or “You’ll grow out of it” is to be able to say you had a lot of months/years to think it over (for me I waited a year in between coming to terms and coming out). If it helps and is possible, have your sister with you for support :).