Photo of the METRO entry for Pride in London 2022, posing outside Horse Guards on Whitehall

"For me, I feel that coming out has been a part of my life since birth. I have grown to adore my queerness, and while I feel that I shouldn't have to come out to anybody and that we should just be able to live authentically as ourselves, I love being vocal and visible about and with my sexual orientation and gender identity! For me, coming out feels like a statement of unapologetic pride.", Adam Tipping, Digital Communications Officer, Lead LGBTQ+ Lead Worker.

"To come out to people over and over is really tiring. It is constant, especially with gender. When people use the wrong pronouns or name, something they refer to daily, it can be difficult and grim to correct people. Coming out day to me is more of a reminder of this burden I carry. Much less about celebration. There is something to be said about trans people being more visible than their cis LGB+ siblings but I am not sure what it is. Maybe it is just that we feel as we get older we should be the visible trans people for trans kids but that in itself is another weight. Not to mention POC trans people who carry intersectional history, trauma and societal hatred. Coming out day is not one I celebrate, because every day is coming out day whether I want it or not.", Wil Allin, Transcend Youth Lead.

“I first came out to a friend I was living with. We were talking about people we liked and I was being super careful not to use any revealing pronouns, until we somehow started talking about the length of their hair and I blurted out that it was ‘much shorter than he had it before’ – oooops!

“Although it wasn’t intentional, she had a very positive reaction and it felt completely safe, it was such a release to have someone to be able to be totally open with.”, Mark Delacour, Director of External Affairs.

“Coming out was a gradual process for me, and though some friends didn’t get the ‘new’ me at first in my early twenties, my family (mostly) did and that was a huge moment of relief. No looking back for me as a very happy lesbian in her late 40s! I hope my kids feel they can identify however they want in the future without fear of being accepted, whether or not that involves coming out.”, Emma Jones, Head of Insight.

"For me, it's important to remember that coming out isn't just a one-day thing. Even now, having come out first over a decade ago, I still find myself having to come out to new people I meet all the time. It's an ongoing process. And while it's liberating to tell that first someone, it's important to be in a position of security and safety before you do so. Also worth remembering - you've probably had years to come to terms with your sexuality, so it's a lot to expect someone to understand it in the first five minutes you tell them. Give people a little time, and it can make a huge amount of difference.", Will Spiller, Personal Assistant to the Senior Management Team.