Lately, a lot of people online have begun asking questions, especially the youth, about whether it’s okay to remain in the closet and hide their sexual preferences from their family. The answer is subjective and solely depends on the individual’s circumstances.

While there are a lot of plus points for the youth to come out to their parents as support starts from the home, you may feel anxious and stressed when hiding your sexuality from them. If you know that your parents are OK with it, then it’s a no brainer, as life will indeed become less stressful. Furthermore, with media covering the LGBT developments across the world, now is the time and is certainly a good idea. However, note that it’s not required.

Avoid telling your parent about your sexual preference if:

• You know that your parents practice a religion that rejects LGBT, such as Southern Baptist Christianity, Evangelical or Orthodox Judaism.
• You know that your parent openly talks about their anti-gay ideology in your presence. With recent rulings by the Supreme Court recognizing same-sex marriage and not to mention Caitlyn Jenner, you’ll find plenty of chances to discuss and comment on these issues. You can have these conversation with your parents to check just how negatively they regard this issue, and can then gauge how their reaction will be to your coming out.

When considering coming out to one’s parents, above all, ask yourself if you are prepared for it. From there on, you can think about their reactions. Will they reject you? Ask you to move out? If kicked out, do you have a safe place to live in?

Know that you are their child, so your parent may have a hard time dealing with your sexual preference. Speak to likeminded close friends, teachers and councilors who can support you through this phase.