Out of the closet..

[Smartnsporty]

I'm 19 and a lesbian. Being gay isn't easy in today's society. Trump became president and although that's horrific it really started with the closed minded citizens that elected him. Like my mom. My mom is extremely homophobic and mildly racist. She is a Christian woman so I understand she's trying to abide by the bible but to the extent that she's putting other people down is wrong. I am depressed and under a lot for pressure to get my family and peers to realize who I truly am. I've come out before but I didn't have a coming out post on social media so it wasn't a huge announcement. All I know is that I feel trapped and I self harm nearly every day. I need help.

[kinikia95 ADAA Volunteer]

First things first, are you able to get to a counselor to talk about the self harm? As a Christian myself I can tell you that we are not all homophobic. The few gay and lesbian friends that I have are all christians and I'm in the Midwest. Perhaps the area that you're in that is a little closed minded. It tough when your parents don't understand but I'm sure your mother believes that you're precious to God and would not want you to hurt yourself. There are so many organizations for LGBTQ teens nowadays. Have you looked into any? I wanted to reply to your post right away but I am going to do some research and reach out to some friends and see if I can find some good groups specific to this. In the meantime please find a counselor, do some Googling, and of course we are all here. There a lot of resources available, you are not trapped.

[kinikia95 ADAA Volunteer in reply to kinikia95]

I found this website which looks fantastic and has links to a lot of other sites Everyoneisgay.com interesting name but it's for young people. They even have a section for self-harm and a spot where you can click on your state and find local resources including the Trevor Project which looks fantastic: you can go to that website thetrevorProject.Org and/or call and talk with them directly at 866-488-7386. They both look really well-organized and helpful. And again, we're here too. You are most definitely not alone.

[ADAAadmin2 in reply to kinikia95]

This is great advice. I hope you look at these sites. Please check in with us and let us know how you are doing. You are most definitely not alone.