Institute of Medicine Says Link Between Coming Out and Good Mental Health is 'Unwarranted'

Last year, the Institute of Medicine published a landmark study titled "The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding." Many gay health experts hailed the report, but little notice was given to a finding in the "Early/Middle Adulthood" section.

In it, the expert panel, which took over a year to examine numerous LGBT health studies, concluded that "the assumption of a universal positive link between coming out and mental health appears unwarranted."

Whoa! That's something the gay rights movement would not want a whole bunch of people to hear.

The panel, led by top health care advocate Dr. Robert Graham, further explains that "multiple social, cultural, and psychological influences affect the extent to which members of homosexually active populations experience favorable consequences from self-identity as lesbian or gay."

So what does that mean for the widely held, often mentioned, notion that coming out is the best thing that can ever happen to a gay individual?

Coming out also has been the primary political tool of the gay rights movement for decades. If gay folks stay invisible, the logic goes, we can't effectively defend and win our equality.

Makes sense to us, but the health of an individual going through the coming out process also needs to be considered and respected. Sometimes we wonder if a 15-year-old kid in Texas is thinking of such a thing when the LGBT community is always saying how life will be grand once he steps out of the closet.

We're reminded of a recent essay L.A. Weekly freelancer Reilly T. Bates wrote about the topic for another blog called The Pathfinder.

"Hiding one's sexuality is often the result of a survival need," Bates writes. "If a teenager tells his parents he's gay, what if he gets booted from his house? Where would he go with no money? How would he go on to college or find a decent job?"

He continues, "Those are harsh realities that many LGBT youth are burdened with. While it is very trendy to recite "It Gets Better" with a pat on the back, visions of a better life most certainly seem cloudy for teenagers grappling with how to come out to their families."

Indeed.

What do you think?

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.

Tags:

coming out, gay health study, Institute of Medicine, Patrick Range McDonald, Robert Graham

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abramsrl

What is mentally healthy and what is physically safe do not always coincide. If you hated what the Nazi were doing in pre WW II Germany, being complicit due to fear could give one psychological problems, but speaking out would bring death. The same calculations has to be made by some Gays. As the Bible says, there's a season for everything. Or as Jack Benny would say, "Timing is everything."

Also, coming out has different meanings. Lying to oneself is more apt to cause psychological problems than making a reasonable judgment about when to "come out." It's like making a left hand turn across traffic. If there's a huge semi-tractor trailer which will obliterate your car if you turn right now, do not turn. Wait! You will still be Gay tomorrow. It is not a temporary thing.

On the other hand, the costs of remaining in the closet can out weigh the benefits. The more independent one is, the easier it is to come out.

Also, let's remember that there is no need for a Dramatic Announcement. One way to come out is to simply live your life without making any announcement. Who announces that they're Straight? (Except closeted Gay guys.) If you have a boyfriend rather than a girl friend, just do it. Your parents will catch on when they're ready. If people should ask, "yes" is a good answer.

On the other hand, if you want to give yourself a lavish Coming Out Party, do it. It's your life!