Coming Out and Homophobia

Homophobia is still a relevant issue in today’s world. In 60+ countries, it is illegal to be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community (United States Department of State, n.d.), and in many places where it is legal, there is still hatred present. Homophobia is defined as “...the fear, hatred, discomfort with, or mistrust of people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual” (Planned Parenthood, n.d.). This issue is important to coming out because who someone chooses to come out to is based on how they might respond.

Being in the closet itself can be stressful.

In Heartstopper (Oseman, 2016; Oseman, 2022), Nick Nelson spends some time in the closet. He had a difficult time figuring out his sexuality, with a lot of tears and a lot of Am I Gay? tests. With that he also had to deal with the feeling that he was making Charlie feel bad because they were hiding their relationship. Charlie has had a past “relationship” with Ben Hope, where Ben used Charlie and made him feel horrible. Nick was concerned that he was making Charlie feel like that again. That is difficult to deal with as an adult, let alone as a teenager. 

But coming out can also be stressful. In Heartstopper (Oseman, 2016; Oseman, 2022), when Charlie was outed as gay in his 1st year in secondary school, he faced constant bullying that resulted in a lower self esteem, mental health issues, and possibly the cause of his eating disorder. From then on he was known as the “gay boy” and overall dismissed as a person. That is a horrible coming out experience that no one should have to face, but is a very real reality. Facing constant bullying can be extremely traumatizing. In contrast, when Nick realized he was bisexual and started to come out, he was met with predominantly acceptance. The contrast between these two experiences is how they came out. Nick was able to control who he came out to and when. Eventually, he announced it on social media (basically to the whole school), however, people had already been accustomed to seeing queer people in their circles. Another important aspect is the time he came out. Charlie was outed to a group of students who were not used to seeing gay people and were raised in an environment where homophobia was seen as okay. After years of being around a few gay people and as society progressed, when it came time for Nick to come out his classmates were more okay with his bisexuality.