Your friends - especially old friends - might need some time to accept your sexual orientation. Just as you did, they need time to acknowledge and accept your homosexuality. Remember that your loved ones need to adjust to this new situation. Help your parents learn from your experience don’t expect them to understand right away. Help them learn by your experienceĬhances are that before you came out you experienced many of the same feelings (isolation, fear of rejection, hurt, confusion, fear of the future, etc.) that your loved ones are feeling now. Give them time and stick close to the family members that treat you no differently than before you came out. They might not express their concerns well at first, but they're telling you how they feel because they care about you. Remember: your family members care about what's going on in your life because they love you. Your parents might agonize over not having grandchildren, or that you might be victimized because of your sexual orientation. They also might worry about what their friends or members of your extended family will say. These might be hard for you to hear, but it’s better for them to say their feelings out loud than to keep them bottled up. At first they might be angry and upset and might even make hurtful or spiteful comments. Acknowledge their anger, fear and confusionĪcknowledge that your parents and siblings will go through their own “coming out” process. Give them time to adjust and don’t insist that they understand right way. Over time your parents and siblings will come to accept or even embrace your sexual orientation. Some might surprise you by being very supportive, while others might have trouble accepting that you’re gay or bisexual. Unfortunately there’s no definite way to predict how well your friends, family or colleagues will accept your sexual orientation.
Homophobia is expressed in various degrees and sometimes violently. People who object to or protest against gay people are called homophobic. Homophobia is a fear of or hostility towards gay people or homosexuality. Handling Homophobic Reactions & Harassment