Coming out: Difference between revisions

'''Coming out''' is a phrase common in the [[LGBT]] community that means "to recognise one's [[sexual orientation]], [[gender identity]], or sex identity, and to [become] open about it with oneself and with others."<ref>"LGBT resources: Definition of terms." [http://geneq.berkeley.edu/lgbt_resources_definiton_of_terms]</ref> People with [[nonbinary]] gender identities have to come out if they are to be [[recognition|recognised]] as nonbinary. This is because in cultures that recognise only the [[gender binary]], nonbinary people have only the options of being closeted (not "out" or open about one's gender identity) or stealth (living as one's chosen gender without others knowing that one is trans). There are some particular needs that are unique to the situation of coming out as nonbinary, as opposed to coming out as anything else. For example, the average person has an idea of what [[lesbian|lesbians]] are, and knows that they exist in real life. Whatever other obstacles a lesbian woman might face when she comes out, she likely doesn't have to contend with those particular issues. However, the average person doesn't know what nonbinary people are, and doesn't have context for them existing in real life. Anyone who comes out as nonbinary needs to be prepared to explain what nonbinary gender is, and be prepared for the possibility that others might not accept it as a real gender identity.

It's up to each individual what "out" looks like to them.  For some, it can be loud and proud, waving a nonbinary banner everywhere they go.  For others, there are no clear lines between "out", "closeted" or "stealth", and each new setting or interaction brings its own dynamics.