This is the hardest and most personal thread I will ever write here, but since the topic has become taboo to talk about within the religion, and as a pansexual coming from a muslim family I feel obligated to adress it.
This thread will have some coping methods that has worked for me personally, but they are only guidelines so you should find ur own.
Do not feel obligated to come out of the closet before you are ready.
Think your words through step by step, I havnt come out of the closet yet personally to my family as I am waiting for the right moment.
Find others in the same situation as you.
You might feel very alone with this but trust me you are not.
I found online comunities such as Habbo as a great place to look for other people in the same siituation as you.
A bonus is that it is much easier to come out to a "stranger" online than face to face with your family and friends.
There is nothing wrong with you!
This is one of the most important points, because so many including myself walk around thinking they are wrong due to their sexuality or orientation.
Sexuality is a basic human need and you should be aloud to express yours as freely as you wish.
It is okay to reach out for help.
If you feel this topic is hard to talk about then you are right, but it is always okey to reach out for help to a person you trust, or professionally through a helpline.
These are some helplines that might be able to help you get the answers you need, or just liten to a story you need to get out.
Remember when you contact a helpline you will be anonymous, nobody will be able to see that you have contacted them and they on know that it is you either.
You can leave the chat or helpline anytime you can aswell, if you feel you were not ready to talk about it.
To end up my thread I would like to hear your throughts on the topic.
If you have some advice I might have missed or a stoy you would like to share feel free.
And remember this is just surgestions and how I personally coped with it, find out what is best for you and go that route.
Oh my god, this post touched my heart!!!!Thank you for being so honest!!
Same as you, I haven't come out of the closet yet to my family, only my bestfriend and some friends from Twitter and Habbo knows that I am bisexual.
This is rather a very difficult topic to discuss with them cos my family is also religious and doesn't acknowledge these things.
You're right, one of my coping methods too are talking to people that has the same situation as I do. It makes me feel like I belong and that I am valid. That im loved. It's really great seeing a lot of people are there for you no matter what!
Also thank you for putting up links like helplines for us, I would check them someday! I am also finding the right time to tell this to my family, I hope by then they could accept me for who I am.
This made me happy cos somehow I feel that I am not alone and Im glad UN is very welcome and nice to people like us.
Thank you for sharing this!
I am so glad that someone could use this, I was afraid to take up the topic cause I did not know how people would take it.
Religion is a hard thing to talk about cause you can easyly offend someone, but it is very important to be urself and be proud of the person you are.
As I wrote take your time coming out, find the right moment to say it and the right way to say it there is no rush.
In this day and age I would like to think that more and more people are becoming "accepting" of things beyond what society has perceived as correct or normal.
I have a relative who we all knew was gay, even in his childhood showed characteristics of being gay, but perhaps what would have prevented him from coming out early on was because he was afraid of what his dad would say and or do to him the moment he finds out.
During his highschool graduation, he told his parents "I am graduating with honors, but I don't think you will be proud of me". Curious as to what it meant, they asked and slowly, tearfully he said his piece. Despite being known as a family with strong Catholic traditions, ways and beliefs, as a family all we can do is accept what is at hand and be grateful it is not something worse like being a serial killer or a drug pusher.
Yes finding comfort in people who are in the same boat as you will help in your way towards finding out more about yourself and how to come out in due time. Good things come to those who wait; including coming out, it takes guts and good timing to tell family and friends.
Indeed we have alot to be thankful for. You may not be "female" or "male" but you have a talent or a skill given to you, use it to the best you can.
You have a friend here in case you want to talk.
Great article Gamal.
"be grateful it is not something worse"
OK, that was unfortunate. Being LGBTIAQ isn't something bad at all.
Being LGBT is not bad and I didn’t say it is bad. Maybe my wrong choice of words. I respect all and I have friends from the LGBT community and have high regard for them and the contributions they make. I apologize for any misinterpretation of my sentence; my intention was not to say being LGBT is bad.
No worries! :-)
It's nice to know there are other LGBTQ+ members in UN, I myself is Bisexual and I haven't come out to my family.. And I will never come out to them because of all people, I know them the best. A Judgemental, Racist, Homophobic, and Religious family that despite what they're claiming to be on the "right" side, they will always be on the wrong side and nothing and no one will ever correct the way they think, so yeah. I'm leaving this family when I graduate and pass my Board Exams, I have a new family already waiting for me, and she understands me completely because she and I are the same and we are in love.
if you are gay and its not accepted in your religious community, then why not leave this religious community?
Sorry for the lkate respeonce i forgot to keep up on my threads, but the thing is that it is alswys too easy to disown your own family or tell them u dont follow their religion anymore.