London charity raises awareness about coming out after Jodie Foster speech
Following actress Jodie Foster’s first public speech about her sexuality at the Golden Globes last Sunday, a London-based LGBT support group is reminding people that coming out can be difficult at any age.
The London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (LLG) said that 43% of the calls they receive related to coming out are from people aged 35-70.
Dr Siri Harrison of the City Psychology Group told Metro why it was still such a scary prospect for many people. He said: “Even if it’s not overt forms of discrimination, just messages we see on TV, the constant focus on marriage which is always in the media. It is very easy to internalise and just worry that you are going to be rejected, not loved, not cared for, and then owning those feelings yourself.”
A spokeswoman for the LLG Switchboard said that many of the calls about coming out revealed positive experiences. She said: “People phone for good reasons as well as bad.”
“They phone to tell us that they are in a loving relationship and really happy or that life is going really well. Or they are having a wonderful time with their family they never had before coming out.”
The LLG Switchboard can be reached at 0300 330 0630 between 10am-11pm every day, or online at llgs.org.uk
