12 hilarious times when coming out didn’t go as planned

Coming out of the closet, for anyone who isn’t in the know, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ+ people telling others about their sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Sometimes it goes well, other times, it doesn’t, sadly. And sometimes, it’s just plain strange – or funny.

To lighten the mood a bit, we decided to a look at some of the best accidentally funny and awkward coming out stories on the internet. Enjoy!

1 This mother who was actually relieved to find out her son was gay…

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2 This brave teen came who out while tackling her homophobic grandma

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3 The dad who failed to see the problem with his son’s sexual preferences

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4 And this girl who cleverly came out by playing on a traditionally homophobic pun

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5 This Dad who believes in stating the obvious…

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6 The friend who likes to bring light relief to an often stressful coming out situation

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7 These parents who reacted in the best way possible

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8 This dad who cared more about cranberry sauce…

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9 … and this one who just wanted to barbecue

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10 The mother who cares more about her daughter’s braces…

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11 This dad who is actually jealous of his daughter’s love life

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12 And finally, we’re pretty certain this gay guy wasn’t expecting THIS reaction from his father…

I would definitely watch a comedy series about this.

Coming out is often a lot more difficult than these stories suggest. It can be tough, and sometimes coming out doesn’t go the way you wanted it to. If you’re having any issues around your sexuality: from coming out of the closet to other issues relating to LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing, there are lots of organisations who can help.

In the UK, the charity Stonewall offers a lot of help and resources around coming out, including links to helplines and organisations who can provide more targeted support. You can find their guide here.

In the US, The Trevor Project have an amazing Coming Out Handbook that you can access here.