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Coming out (of the closet) is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people's disclosure of thier sexual orientation and/or gender indetity.

Framed and debaated as a privary issue, coming out of the closet is described and experienced as a psychological process of journey, descision-malking or risk-taking; a strategy or plan; a mass or publivc event; a speech act and a matter of personal identity; a rite of passae; liberation or emancipation from oppresion; an ordeal; a means toward feeling gay pruide instead of shame and social stigma; or even career suicide. *

Coming out of the closet is the sources of other gay sang expressions related to volunary disclosure or lack there of. LGBT people who have alreadyor no longer conceal their sexual orientation and/or gender identityt are out, openly LGBT. Opposetely,LGBT people who have yet to come out or have opted not to do s oa re labelled as closeted or being in the closet. Outing is the deliberate or accidental disclosure of an LGBt person's sexual orientation o gender identity, without his or her consent. By extention, outing oneself is unintentional LGBt self-disclosure. Lastly, the glass closet means the open secret of when public figures' being LGBT is considered a widely accepted fact even through they have not "officially" come out.

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