I'm sorta’ of confused right now because I feel that I might be bisexual, and if I am, I am scared of what my family may think. I have a cousin who is lesbian, and my family accepts her as far as I've seen...but I'm scared that my parents and others may not accept me...I know my best friend won't. This is all tearing me apart...can you help me or give me some advice?
Signed,
Worried To Death, 16, na NC

Working through one's sexuality and sexual orientation can be a confusing and scary as well as an exciting process. Though the stress of coming out can be difficult, the journey of discovering yourself can be exciting and extremely liberating.

Because of the many messages, both positive and negative, that we receive about homosexuality and bisexuality as well as the multitude of feelings that sexual orientation brings up in people, it is difficult to predict how people will react when we come out. There are no guarantees that they will be accepting but there is also no assurance that the reaction will be negative or hurtful.

It's very encouraging that your observation of your family has shown them to be accepting of your cousin who is a lesbian. That being said it is still understandable that you would have concerns about coming out to them as well as to your best friend. Remember that just as you are processing your sexual orientation, your family and best friend may also need to go through a process. Part of that process can include ongoing discussions with you. In addition, if there are questions that they have, a good resource to refer them to is P-FLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) an organization that can assist people in talking about the sexual orientation of those they love.

In exploring your issues around your sexual orientation as well as your concerns about coming out to your family, it may be helpful to call the help line at The Trevor Project at 1-866-4-U-Trevor.