Coming Out and Staying Out
A Guide For Gay and Bisexual Men

This guide has been written for gay and bisexual men of all ages who are thinking of coming out. We know that making the decision to come out can be scary and stressful. It is for these reasons and because of our work as gay men's health workers that we put together this guide. We believe that useful information and other people's experiences of coming out can help to prepare you for some of the consequences that coming out to family and friends may bring.

Coming out is different for every person. We have tried to answer some of the questions that we are regularly asked, although in reality, this guide is likely to prompt more questions than it answers, but we hope it will help you during this time.

Remember - there is always someone you can talk to. There are many organisations that can help with your questions and concerns about being gay or coming out and we have listed some of them on the information page of this guide.

This guide has been written with the United Kingdom in mind, please remember if you live outside the UK that some of the information will not apply to where you live. For example, in some countries being homosexual is still illegal, or attitudes towards being gay or bisexual can be so severe that coming out is not safe. Use the web to look for more information about how things are where you live.

Good Luck!

Douglas Newberry and Mark Rendell

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