Switched-On Magazine

Coming out of the closet (or coming out) is a phrase describing how one openly admits a non-heterosexual orientation. Coming out is never an easy thing to do with the extent of opposition that may come from different parties.Social pressures cause lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth to find it hard to open up. Discrimination is a major factor and since LGBTQ youth are still young and susceptible to pressures and external influences, it becomes even harder. Cultural differences may also contribute to the difficulty of coming out. Racial discrimination isn't completely gone from society and to add onto that would make life even worse for minorities. Teenagers may find it hard to deal with discrimination of any sort because it is the time of their life when they try to find something to belong to and be stressed from it. For example, parents may not be able to accept that their child deviates from a supposed norm, or some friends may be disturbed by the idea and distance themselves from you (though I don't know if you want those friends still if they are going to treat you like that).

However, there are various organizations that are established to help LGBTQ youth to deal with social/familial pressures and help them fight for the rights that are often denied to the LGBTQ community due to discrimination.The National Runaway Switchboard's hotline is an option that should come to mind if you need someone to talk to about your problems and a source for you to find a suitable course of action, plus they have lots of resources for LGBTQ youth all over the country. Another good place to look for support would be in your community. You might not be aware of organizations in your community that are supportive of LGBTQ youth but it is possible that there are some. Universities sometimes have their own dedicated centers for LGBTQ youth so that may be somewhere you can look and something you can consider if you're still in the process of looking for a university. Under "Links and Resources", I linked to the GLBT National Help Center and there is an option to check for resources near you to make the searching process easier. If you check, and there isn't any, well, you can always try to find similar-minded people to help you establish one. A lot of heterosexual people are also supportive so you don't necessarily have to try and find other LGBTQ youth to start an organization.