As of 2021, approximately 5.6% of American citizens over the age of 18 identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.1 The ever-growing presence of openly queer Americans brings forth a new challenge in the fight for acceptance: being out in the workplace. Today, five percent of federal employees self-identify as queer, with less than…
Category: Coming Out
Supporting Someone Who is Coming Out
Disclaimer: In this article, the term “queer” will be used as an umbrella term for all gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and other non-heterosexual orientations; the term “trans” refers to all individuals who experience gender differently from the assumed gender based on their sex assigned at birth. In the 21st century, countries around the world have made tremendous changes surrounding LGBTQ issues….
Advice on Coming Out
“Coming out” or “coming out of the closet” is a significant aspect of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) life that refers to a non-heterosexual person accepting their sexuality and beginning to tell others about it. Coming out is not a one-time, all-revealing event, but rather an ongoing process involving self discovery, acceptance, and integration.2 The experience of coming out can vary greatly…
Coming Out
Disclaimer: In this article, for the sake of simplicity and consistency, we will be using the term “LGBTQIA+” as an umbrella term to represent all gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, questioning, and other non-heterosexual orientations and non-cisgender gender identities. To learn more, you can read our Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity article. If you need resources…