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“Coming out” has now become an act of joyful liberation. In most societies, where everyone is assumed to be heterosexual until declared otherwise, should “coming out” be an act of obligation or personal choice?
If you want to go your whole life and only admit your complete identity to yourself, you are still valid. Not stating your sexuality or gender does not erase or invalidate that aspect of you. You are you whether others know about it or not. You are not living a lie if you don’t tell people. It’s society’s assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender that promotes that concept. You are not ashamed of the LGBTQ community or an enemy to the LGBTQ community if you don’t state that you are a member.
The whole point of coming out is so that the people who do so can live their happiest lives. Many people feel liberated by being out to the world. It has countless benefits. Coming out is about empowerment. But if coming out will result in greater despair or adversity, stripping away your security or dignity, you do not have to do it.
It’s actually okay not to come out. All these myths surrounding what coming out is treat it as an end goal. But coming out does not have to be a step in your identity journey; it can be or it cannot be. Your coming out is yours alone, and no one has the right to tell you otherwise. Coming out is not something you owe to the public. You choose how you present yourself to the society. Don’t let society tell you that you have to come out. You are who you want to be. You are a whole person who is more than your gender and sexuality.