The Teen's Guide to Being LGBT+

Chapter one- Coming out

This is likely one of the hardest parts of being LGBTQ+, trust me. Some people may not be completely accepting of your gender or orient, and as I will go over later,  just try to keep that negativity out of your life as much as possible!

Coming out is very, very important for a multitude of reasons.  It means that you fully trust the person you tell not to hurt you and disapprove of you, and that is a big step in any relationship- wether it be romantic or platonic, familiar, whatever. Everyone needs someone in their life that they can trust.

There is no real certified way to come out, obviously. Just do whatever you see fit. There are many places to do it, though I would not recommend doing it where you feel forced to. Ease into it, don't let yourself be stressed! This is about you, not them.

If it isn't someone you trust completely and fully, I'd suggest doing it at a time or place where you can get away or have someone help you with the situation. Remember, your safety, wether it be physical safety, mental, or emotional, should come first. So don't put yourself into a circumstance that could get you hurt. We don't live in any action or horror movie, of course.

If you're a family member or a friend of someone you think is LGBTQ+, and they haven't come out to you yet, don't ask them yourself. I cannot stress this enough, it feels very weird and embarrassing to have someone you know ask you if you're LGBTQ+ when you're not comfortable telling them. This can also be called outing someone, and it's usually an uncomfortable experience for both parties.

Just wait for them to say something, and if they don't, don't be angry, maybe they aren't what you thought they were, or maybe they just don't feel like telling you. Either way, don't push anything. And if you feel you need to ask someone whom you think is trans or nonbinary in any other way, politely ask what pronouns they use. It's the nice thing to do, and they'll thank you for it.

Note: This was a rather short chapter, but I have a feeling most of my chapters will be like this. I'm new at writing, so I might not be the best. This is one of the things I'm using to try to get better at writing. If anyone has an idea for a chapter, comment below or PM me. I don't bite!