Editing Coming out (section)

===Transgender identity and coming out===
[[File:Coming Out As Trans - A Little Public Statement.webm|thumb|Actress [[Abigail Thorn]] coming out as transgender]]
{{See also|Transgender#Coming out}}
Transgender people vary greatly in choosing when, whether, and how to disclose their transgender status to family, close friends, and others. The prevalence of discrimination<ref>{{cite web |url=http://glaadblog.org/2011/02/04/groundbreaking-report-reflects-persistent-discrimination-against-transgender-community/ |title=Groundbreaking Report Reflects Persistent Discrimination Against Transgender Community |date=4 February 2011 |website=GLAAD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803205502/http://glaadblog.org/2011/02/04/groundbreaking-report-reflects-persistent-discrimination-against-transgender-community/ |archive-date=3 August 2011 |access-date=21 April 2021}}</ref> and violence against transgender people (in the United States, for example, transgender people are 28 percent more likely to be victims of violence)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.glaad.org/blog/violence-against-transgender-people-and-people-color-disproportionately-high-lgbtqh-murder-rate |title=Violence Against Transgender People and People of Color is Disproportionately High, LGBTQH Murder Rate Peaks |last=Bolles |first=Alexandra |date=4 June 2012 |publisher=[[GLAAD]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151228050921/http://www.glaad.org/blog/violence-against-transgender-people-and-people-color-disproportionately-high-lgbtqh-murder-rate |archive-date=28 December 2015 |access-date=16 December 2015}}</ref> can make coming out a risky decision. Fear of retaliatory behavior, such as being removed from the parental home while underage, is a reason for transgender people to delay coming out to their families until they have reached adulthood.<ref>Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. [https://www.glaad.org/2010/02/25/sassafras-lowreys-kicked-out-anthology-shares-stories-of-lgbtq-youth-homelessness "Sassafras Lowrey's Kicked Out Anthology Shares Stories of LGBTQ Youth Homelessness"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804080450/http://glaadblog.org/2010/02/25/sassafras-lowreys-kicked-out-anthology-shares-stories-of-lgbtq-youth-homelessness/|date=4 August 2011}}, "[[GLAAD]]", US, 25 February 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2011.</ref> Parental confusion and lack of acceptance of a transgender child may result in parents treating a newly revealed gender identity as a "phase" or making efforts to change their children back to "normal" by using mental health services to [[Conversion therapy|alter the child's gender identity]].<ref name="hrc-comingout">{{Cite web |title=Coming Out to Family as Transgender |url=http://www.hrc.org/issues/3455.htm |publisher=[[Human Rights Campaign]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103222434/http://www.hrc.org/issues/3455.htm |archive-date=3 January 2011 |access-date=5 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-children-and-youth-understanding-the-basics |title=Transgender Children & Youth: Understanding the Basics {{!}} Human Rights Campaign|website=Human Rights Campaign |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910211556/http://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-children-and-youth-understanding-the-basics |archive-date=10 September 2017 |access-date=23 August 2017}}</ref>

The internet can play a significant role in the coming out process for transgender people. Some come out in an [[online identity]] first, providing an opportunity to go through experiences virtually and safely before risking social sanctions in the real world.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Marciano |first=A. |year=2014 |title=Living the VirtuReal: Negotiating transgender identity in cyberspace |journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=824–838 |doi=10.1111/jcc4.12081 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Stitt">{{Cite book |title=ACT For Gender Identity: The Comprehensive Guide |last=Stitt |first=Alex |date=2020 |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |isbn=978-1785927997 |location=London |oclc=1089850112}}</ref> But, while many trans people find support online that they may not have in real life, others encounter bullying and harassment. According to a study published by Blumenfeld and Cooper in 2012,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=Robyn M. |last2=Blumenfeld |first2=Warren J. |date=April 2012 |title=Responses to Cyberbullying: A Descriptive Analysis of the Frequency of and Impact on LGBT and Allied Youth |journal=Journal of LGBT Youth |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=153–177 |doi=10.1080/19361653.2011.649616 |s2cid=144818660 |issn=1936-1653}}</ref> youth who identify as LGBT are 22 percent less likely to report online bullying because they may have parents who do not believe or understand them, or they fear having to come out in order to explain the incident. This further shows the barriers that trans individuals can have when coming out.

Coming out as transgender can be more complex than coming out as a sexual minority. Visible changes that can occur as part of changing one's gender identity{{Snd}}such as wardrobe changes, [[Transgender hormone therapy|hormone replacement therapy]], and name changes{{Snd}}can make coming out to other people less of a choice. Further, elements that accompany a change in gender can have financial, physical, medical, and legal implications. Additionally, transgender individuals can experience prejudice and rejection from sexual minorities and others in the LGBTQ community, in addition to the larger LGBTQ bias they can face from mainstream culture, which can feel isolating.<ref name="Stitt" />