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You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Hi there,
Its never okay for anyone to hurt you and it would be wrong for anybody to beat you. You deserve to be safe, and if youre ever feeling in danger you have the right to call 999 for emergency help. There are laws to protect people from being hurt and there are also laws to protect people from homophobia.
Im concerned to hear that your family are homophobic and that its making it hard for you to feel able to come out. Its taken a lot of hard work for you to feel able to accept your own sexuality and it seems like your familys views are making the idea of coming out very frightening. It would be wrong for them to try and fix you, because being bi isnt something that needs fixing. Your sexuality is your own and nobody has the right to try and change it.
Its important for you to choose when you feel ready to come out, and you can choose to come out gradually and tell people you trust. Carefully choosing who youd like to tell can mean that you have support from them when you need it like when you decide to come out to your family. You can find out more about coming out on our page on sexual identity.
Please remember that youre never on your own with this. There are lots of people who can help, including ChildLine counsellors who you can talk to any time, by email, 1-2-1 chats or calling free on 0800 1111.
If you feel as though your family wouldnt support you or that theyd disown you if you came out, it could help to talk to Stonewall Youth on 08000 502020 or through their website, an organisation for young people affected by sexuality and transgender issues. You can also check out our sexuality message board thread where other people share their experiences of coming out.
Im really glad that you got in touch to tell me about this. That was a very brave thing to do. I hope you get the support you need.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.