Ask QC: Telling my friends I am gay

Dear Ask QC,

Hi, I want to be able to live a gay lifestyle openly – and by that I mean with everyone.

My family already knows that I’m gay but none of my friends do. This is because I really find it very difficult to make friends, and honestly I actually only have a small handful of friends at best.

I realize it’s a big risk coming out and for those people that don’t want to know me because of that, well I don’t care if I lose them. But those few really close friends that I have, well if I told them and then I lost them because of this, then I would then be totally devastated if they no longer wanted to be friends.

What should I do?

Signed, Secretly Sad 🙁

Hi and thanks for writing in to Ask QC with your questions and concerns. Coming out is something that almost all gay men and women find a difficult and daunting task. You’ve already made the first step to come out to your family and you’re blessed to have some dear and close friends too. It’s understandable to be fearful and to be reluctant to come out to all at this time, as you do not wish to risk losing your friends. The topic of coming out is as varied as everyone’s own particular set of circumstances but here are some previous ‘Ask QC’s’ that have dealt with the topic which you may find as a useful resource;
When Is the ‘right’ age/time to ‘come out’?,
Am I too old to “come out”?,
How to Come Out as Bi,
Low Libido, Depressed and In The Closet… Help!,
How can I come out to my parents?,
My parents made me leave home because I’m gay.
So, dear QC readers, what tips and advice can you offer? Where you in this situation before? How did you overcome this? If you can help in any way, then please share your wisdom and advice for all in the QComments section!
Need advice? Just send in your questions and the QCollective will get you some answers!