Coming Out

“Coming out” is a popular term for the acceptance of a certain belief about oneself or, more commonly, the communication of this self-belief to others. In early usage, coming out referred to a social event introducing an affluent young woman of marrying age to society. Currently, it usually refers to an individual's acknowledgment of his or her sexual orientation and/or disclosure of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity to others-for example, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI). It may also refer to disclosure of other types of personal information, especially that which is concealable and potentially stigmatizing, such as learning disabilities, health conditions, mental illness, drug/alcohol use, or criminal history. When applied to the disclosure of contextually devalued attributes, the phrase is ...