Almost half of gay men say they received a negative reaction to coming out

The latest issue of FS Magazine has revealed that, while the majority of gay and bi men do come out, almost half are faced with homophobia when they do.

The Coming Out Issue, which was released to coincide with National Coming Out Day, surveyed 500 gay and bi men on the topic of coming out, and fond that, of the respondents that had come out, 94% had told their family and 98% had told their friends – but just 75% had told their employer.

The most startling statistic showed that 47% had endured a negative reaction or homophobia in response to disclosing their sexuality, while 39% said they had experienced mental health issues “because of their sexuality.”

But, despite the worryingly high prevalence of negativity, when asked if they regret coming out, nobody responded ‘yes’ (however 8% said ‘sometimes’).

Those who said they had not come out “cited religion, age and ethnicity” among the reasons for staying closeted.

Ian Howley, GMFA’s CEO, commented that: “Health and happiness is just as important for the men who are not out, as the gay men who are open and proud.

“In an era where equal marriage is now the law, we must not forget that there is a large portion of gay and bisexual men still struggling with their sexuality.

“In fact, gay and bisexual men are five times more likely to suffer from mental health issues and even attempt suicide.”

Read issue FS Magazine #156 in full here.

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