Customer Reviews
Everything you need to know in a difficult situation! - By: Wayne Redhart, 04 Mar 2008 
Signorile's 'Outing Yourself' is the perfect book for those who wish to reveal their personal persuasions to a wider audience. In this day & age, one's proclivities are not something that ought to be repressed from others through fear of ridicule, yet (even now) coming out remains an especially tough step for some people to take. This book covers everything you need to knowin order to be emotionally prepared for the experience.
Personally, I came out at the age of seventeen. I had known my true feelings for some time by then, but it was still extremely difficult to be open about myself. Some people find their parents to be the hardest people to reveal the truth to but,in honesty, I believe that my parents always knew that I was somehow 'different' from my classmates. I suppose that I must have been about thirteen when I started to become aware of the fact that I stood out. I don't know whether it was the way I walked, the way I dressed or even the way I spoke, but it was already apparent to all that I wasn't quite like the other kids at school. Most of them were polite to me, but I never got to feel a real sense of belonging among them. Internally, I suffered a great deal of angst at this time. I had no doubts about who I really was inside, but I was fearful of what might happen if I let this be known. Would I be accepted for who I am? In the end, I decided that I had no choice but to reveal my inclinations,in order to be true to myself- regardless of the consequences!
Anyhow, as I say, it was at seventeen that I took this step. The first person I told was my best friend Kevin. My voice trembled a little as I began to speak & a tear soon started to formin the corner of my eye, as I struggled to stutter out the truth. Would he shun me? Worse still, would he become violent towards me? Well, fortunately, no! Despite the differing nature of our lifestyles, Kevin said that he was completely okay with my admission & gave me a huge hug! This inspired a huge boost of confidence & the very next day I gathered everyone around to make an announcement. "I'm straight!" I yelled at my ballet-school classmates, without so much as a trace of embarrassmentin my voice!
Well, after that things weren't quite as simple as I had hoped. Once I had exposed myself as being (what the other boys referred to as) a 'breeder', I suppose that the onslaught of heterophobic bullying was inevitable. Even to this day, I almost find myself expecting to hear cries of 'Smelly hetero!' whenever I board a bus. Perhaps cruelest of all were the insults I had to endure after practisein the locker-room. One menacingly slender boy called Marc always used to scream 'You dirty fannypacker!' whenever I entered the showers (or, worse still, simply 'Cockdodger!'). Still, I felt no shame within myself & the other boys could do nothing to dampen my straight pride.
Be true to yourself!
Simple, straightforward issues to consider - By: , 12 Mar 1999 I've never been much for touchy-feely self help style books. I loved Signorile's straightforward, just-the-facts presentation of what you should think about before coming out to friends, family, co-workers, etc. It was particularly helpful that he pointed out some of the ways parents typically react & what kinds of things I should think about before coming out... It was definitely a comforting addition to my support group of friends.
A must-read for those coming out - By: , 11 Jun 1998 Outing Yourself was such a great resource for mein my coming out. I gave it to four friends & each found it to be equally important to them. Every one of us held on to it--sometimes literally, particularly when the going got rough-- & went back to it when we needed support. I still do so. That's because it breaks the process down into steps & none of us is never fully finished. We're always dealing with these issues. And Signorile understands that rather simplifying it. I don't know what I'd have done without the book.
A powerful and important guide - By: , 08 Apr 1998 Outing Yourself was my introduction to the author, Michelangelo Signorile. It helped me immenselyin my own coming out process, & led me to his other, more intellectual & gripping books. This book is for everyone who is dealing with coming out, & that means everyone, for we are always all coming out, as Mr. Signorile explains, every day.
A great starting point! - By: , 29 Sep 1997 
I great place to start when you are just coming out. Gives great examples, & it very straight forward. I recommend it!
