why do you feel like you have to come out to your family?

Answer 1

I'm bi, so some of these don't directly apply to me:

So that I didn't feel like I was lying to them.
So that they wouldn't hear it from some meddler
So that I could count on their support when things got tough - without having to add to the stress of any situation by coming out at that bad time.
So that they wouldn't keep asking "So, when are you getting married?"
So that I could bring my S.O. round to my folks without any subterfuge.
So that they'd know I loved and trusted in them enough to be able to tell them.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I'm not gay, so take this for what it's worth. I don't even feel accepted for my career and life choices, but I wish my family could understand who I was and accept that as opposed to reject everything I say and spurt off a list of all the things in my life that I should be doing. I'd like to 'come out' and be accepted by the people that shoud mean the most to me: my family. As a result, I think the feeling of wanting to come out has to do with wanting your family to accept your choices and validate you as a person. Living a secret life is incredibly draining, especially when you have to hide things from people you love.

Answer 3

Homosexual and bisexual people feel the need to come out to family, to make themselves feel more at ease within their families. The never ending questions of "when are you going to get married ?" or "why haven't you got a (boy/girl)friend like everyone else?" can be quite intimidating for LGBT people - who already feel out of place in mainstream society.

Answer 4

Because I don't want to hide what I've discovered about myself. I prefer for them to know that I am comfortable with the way God made me, rather than hide it as though it were something that I was embarrased about. How can my family be truly supportive of me if they don't know the real me? Some people may say that this is pushing an "agenda" upon them, but I don't feel as though my brothers are pushing any agenda upon me when they talk about their wives. I look at it as though they are sharing their lives with me. Just as I don't want to hear about what goes on in the bedroom with them, I don't share those things about myself, either. But I am honest about the fact that I'm gay.

Answer 5

I'm not gay but I would think that you would want to tell your family because they are your family. It would be a problem to hide it from them and if your family is reasonable, they will support you if your homosexuality becaomes a problem somewhere in your life.

On a personal level, I realised that my daughter was lesbian before she did so I explained that it is OK. I met a whole new group of people that I would never have encountered by accepting her sexual preference

Answer 6

I never felt that I needed to come out to my family. I was asked, repeatedly why I don't date girls or get married. I finally just told them why. They didn't like it at first and I really don't know how they feel about it now. We just don't talk about it.

Answer 7

I did it because I got tired of lying-to myself, to the boyfriends I had, and to my family. It gets old when I'm going out to a gay club, and can't say it's a gay club. It gets old when I have to hide all my rainbow paraphernalia. It gets old if I like a girl, or I'm dating a girl but I can't say that because nobody knows my deep, dark, secret. I just got tired of hiding. So I came out, and now everyone's fine with it.

Answer 8

though i haven't come out to my family i feel like i should because they don't really know me and i feel like i have to hide things from them.

Answer 9

because it really bugs you inside to know that you're lying to your family. the whole time they're worried about you having kids, and it's hard to actually do that when you're gay or bi or lesbian.

it's hard to live life with such a huge secret.

Answer 10

people ,all people feel the need to be accepted & loved. I'm proud of all the good answers posted here.