| Coming-out is the process of the open and voluntary confession by a person about his sexual or gender minority or the result of such a process.
The coming-out process:
Erickson mentioned that a person passes through eight specific stages, resolving concrete psychological issues during his mental growth process. He asserted that the integration of sexuality in the image “I” during the formation of mental identity is extremely important for the mental health of a person. At the same time, Erickson states that this formation is a complex process of interaction between personality and society. Analyzing this work, psychotherapist Dominic Davis confirms: “Since the identity formation of gays and lesbians in society burdened by homophobia proceeds in many respects differently than for heterosexuals, their mental growth indicates an integration of stigmatized sexualities in their image of "I”.
Since the end of the 1970s, researchers have formulated various psychological models of the coming-out process (Grace, 1977; de Monteflores, Schultz, 1978; Kimmel, 1978; Cass, 1979; Troiden, 1979; Woodman, Lenna, 1980; Coleman, 1981-82; MacDonald, 1982; Minton, MacDonald, 1983-84; Troiden, 1989). In particular, the American sociologist Richard Troydon suggested the following four phases for describing the formation process of the sexual identity of the homosexual:
* Foreboding the differences from other people, arising in the person before sexual maturity;
* Apprehension in heterosexual identity, occurring in the teenager;
* Acceptance of a non-conventional identity, which could and couldn’t have reached the view of hostile social installations;
* Identification of the self as a representative of sexual minorities, establishing the connection between sexuality and emotionality and the integration of sexuality into an image of “I”.
Since specific “reasons” for the sexual identity formation of homosexuals could not be ascertained, the coming-out process itself and its theoretical substantiations could be branded as contentious debate: not a single developed model could be considered as comprehensive. Nevertheless, they converge in one: the process is not linear and the person can simultaneously solve several psychological problems pertaining to different stages of the process.
The realization of proper orientation
Coming-out can be anticipated by an uncertainty period, when the person considers that his sexual orientation, behavior or sense of attachment towards the opposite sex are not a transient “phase” or rejects these feelings for religious or moral motives.
Arguing about the appropriateness of coming out by a person after realizing their proper orientation, sexologist M. Beilkin, asserts:
“What ever the concerns to “self-disclosure” (or “revealing”) as refusal from compelled masking, then the necessity of such step is not always evident. It is not appropriate to push gays towards him; sometimes, it can sometimes turn out to be a trouble."
The psychological and social problems of coming out
Coming out is a difficult process and can have both positive as well as negative social and physiological consequences for the coming-out individual. In this connection, people who had already undergone the coming out process and defined which behavior is least traumatic for a person and his accomplices by the trial and error method, have tried to generalize this experience in the form of recommendations. In books published by the American organization under the name “Parents and friends of Lesbians and Gays” (PFLAG), it is not recommended, particularly, to plan a coming-out during holidays and other stressful situations, for example, during quarrels.
Usually, coming out is not a single-stage, but a gradual, developing process. In the majority of cases, sexologists recommend to “reveal” at first to a close trust-worthy friend or to a family member, and then take some respite, waiting a little bit with further recognitions. The orientation of some persons is known at work but is not suspected in the family or vice versa. Nevertheless, actually, coming out is not settled by a one-time recognition to one person or group of people.
Some researchers found out that the degree of openness of a person about their orientation in different vital situations is connected by the direct image with absence of stresses and neurosis in him.
National Coming-out Day
According to the opinion of the American LGBT-organization the campaign for human rights is a consistent and organized way of realizing the coming-out concept in all of society and is called “National Coming-out Day”. It is celebrated every year on October 11. Initially, celebrating “coming-out day” was confined only to the USA but later on it spread across to other countries worldwide. According to organizers, it allows on reducing the possible negative consequences of coming-out both for the mentality of relatives, accomplices and friends of the person and for the person himself.
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October 11 is the National Coming Out Day day in the United States.
This special day is celebrated by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities and their supporters. The holiday was established in 1988 with a gay and lesbian parade in Washington DC, where some half a million people participated. Despite the name, this holiday is observed not just in the United States but also internationally. United Kingdom celebrates this day on October 12.
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