Coming Out – TGmeds

The process of a queer person becoming aware of his/her sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or intersex identity, and of letting other people know. This is a life- long, continual process because we live in a hetero-normative, gender-normative society. It is not uncommon for non-heterosexual people to be “out” to some people (e.g., certain friends, family) and not “out” to others (e.g., a boss, work colleagues). The decision to disclose one’s sexual orientation or gender identity should always be a personal decision – you should never out another person.
The process of becoming aware of one’s trans identity, accepting it, and/or telling others about it; coming out is also used to refer to disclosing one’s non-heterosexual sexual orientation.