Benefits of Coming Out

[wac14]

Another benefit is if you are out, it makes dating easier. No other gay person has to question "are they or any they not"!

[Sozo]

I think, for me, one of the best benefits of coming out was that I was able to finally quell that battle within myself and to live as who I am. In the greater scope of things, I think that we as gay Christians have a unique opportunity to become amazing examples for other people.

Absolutely, and probably one of the most beautiful benefits as well.

[Sozo]

Another benefit is if you are out, it makes dating easier. No other gay person has to question "are they or any they not"!

Well, you can't expect someone to love you, if you don't first love yourself.

[Pastor Weekly]

Another benefit is if you are out, it makes dating easier. No other gay person has to question "are they or any they not"!

Well, you can't expect someone to love you, if you don't first love yourself.

Are you saying that being in the closet is a symptom of not loving oneself?

[Sozo]

That wasn't what I was referring to, but I believe that certainly can be the case yes.

[wac14]

That is a very interesting hypothesis. I think there maybe a lot of truth to Sozo's statement. Unless we are in physical danger, we may only love parts of ourselves when we are completely closeted. We love our straight parts or rather the straight image we create, when the gay person is the real person. When I was in the closet, I hated myself.

[Dixie]

To me, being in the closet means that you feel threatened by those around you if they knew the true you. To protect yourself you have to put on this grand facade that people will like. But at the same time you begin to hate yourself because you know that you are a fake and most people don't like fakes. Plus it is stressful especially if you are in a relationship and you have to choose your words carefully to keep it from slipping that you are dating someone of the same sex. I find this happening all too often, especially in small rural towns where mainstream Christian values are the norm and any deviation from that means you are 'attacking' Godly values, when really you abide by the law just as they do, you keep a job just as they do, you pay your bills just as they do, and you love your spouse/partner just as they love theirs. The only difference is your sexuality and most traditional Christians feel threatened by that.

Like for me, I think some of my church family knows I am homosexual but they believe it is a struggle I am fighting, but the majority don't. But given this is a Southern Baptist Church, if I were to be openly gay and regularly attending I think they would frown on that, maybe even go as far as asking me to just not come back until I get myself 'sorted out'.