For many people in the LGBT+ community, coming out to their friends and family allows them to finally be who they really are.
But it’s not always an easy step to take and some young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people struggle to be open about their sexuality.
To support those who are not yet out, National Coming Out Day is celebrated on October 11, every year.
This year, the ECHO has met up with three young people living in Liverpool, to hear about their experiences of coming out.
Ben Saunders, Charlotte Roberts and Stefan Price share their coming out stories and offer advice to young people thinking of becoming a member of the LGBT+ community.
Watch the video above, or carry on reading below:
Ben Saunders, 18, Wirral
Ben, who was named Stonewall Young Campaigner of the Year in 2019, told the ECHO about his experiences of coming out as a trans masculine young person in an all-girls school.
Ben said he realised he was trans after meeting another transgender person, before then he hadn’t really understood his feelings.
Ben said: "After I realised [I was trans] I couldn’t then have long hair, I just couldn't cope with that, so I wore it in a hat for weeks until I could get a haircut, even when I was in doors I wore it in a hat.
"It was a very sudden thing, as soon as I realised, I was like I can’t just carry on how I was feeling before."
While family and friends were accepting of Ben, he found that the hardest thing about coming out was having to explain educate his loved ones.
Many assumed Ben was lesbian, because they didn't know much, if anything, about trans.
Ben added: "I had to teach people, which was an extra layer of coming out, which was the most tough part, because my family and friends were accepting but I knew they wouldn’t properly know what it is.
"Purely because they hadn’t been educated in what it is...how would they know if they hadn’t been told? So I did have to educate a lot of people about it."
Following his own negative experience of coming out in an all-girls school, Ben started to campaign for trans young people get appropriate support in school.
Speaking about his experiences, Ben said: "They [the school] didn’t really know what to do when I came out as trans.
"That was a massive, horrible part of coming out, the school's reaction. I didn’t feel like I was wanted in the school at all, which obviously made going there every day very hard.
"Now I’m at college and college are really accepting , they are more than accepting, they’re encouraging and embracing of it."
Speaking about what advice he'd give to others in his situation, Ben said: "It’s important to be as open as you can be with your identity and not let other people tell you how you should express your identity."
Charlotte Roberts, 18, Garston
Charlotte came out as bisexual to her friends and family last year, she said: "It was a bit dramatic, it was funny but kind of sad.
"I just burst into tears, I just couldn't be myself that day [I came out], I had a complete shut down, so I called up my mum."
Charlotte said her mum was supportive and that a lot of the worries she had were all in her head.
She added: "She was like 'I know, it's fine, cool'... I just kind of got all worked up for nothing really. I was fine."
Before coming out Charlotte worried that she wasn't 'normal', she explained it's due to how society views sexuality.
She said: "If a little girl hugs a boy, they're like 'oh she's getting the boys already', or if a little boy kisses a girl he's the 'ladies man'.
"And it's not toxic innately, it's just as children grow up, there's that innate idea within them that if you don't always like the opposite gender maybe you're abnormal."
Charlotte's advice to other young people is: "You've just got to take a deep breath and think 'I'm human.'
"It's not the end of the world and when you do feel ready to tell people, tell people that you trust."
Stefan Price, 21, Bootle
After getting with his first boyfriend in his teens, Stefan decided it was time to tell his parents about his sexuality.
While he wasn't worried about coming out, he stressed about how to go about it.
In the end, the best way for Stefan was simple.
He said: "I was scrolling through my phone showing [my mum] photos, and one popped up of me and him.
"I was like 'oh by the way mum this is such and such' and she just smiled.
"She knew deep down, I think everyone did know which made it a bit easier for me, but nobody really made a big deal of it.
"And then my mum told my dad, and then I told friends, and then it just free flowed. It didn't feel like I had to make a big statement. I am quite lucky."
Stefan said he feels accepted and welcomed in Liverpool as a gay person. But one bad experience almost changed it all.
He said: "I've had first hand experience with a hate crime.
"I was literally walking down the street and something happened, I couldn't have done anything differently, I was just being myself.
"But then what followed from that, the support from the police, businesses, and everybody else made me realise even though there's a few negatives, it always comes back to a postive."
If you are considering coming out, or if you have just come out and you would like to meet other people in the community, Young Persons Advisory Service in Liverpool or GYRO can offer one on one and group support for those aged between 12 to 25 years old.
Get in touchat @gyroliverpool on Twitter or gyro_tay on Instagram or email gyro@ypas.org.uk
