Else & Ilse | LGBTIQ+ adventurers

We recently talked about coming out in general and that it is a never-ending process. There are always small(er) coming outs every time we meet new people or even when walking down the street holding hands. Kissing in public in a bar. Introducing ourselves as girlfriends at events: all of these are small coming outs. It is a process — for some people it's easy, for others it's more difficult. Some people might even have to fear severe consequences. We, in contrast, are lucky enough to not having to live in fear. But still: there are coming outs for us that aren't particularly easy. One of these not so easy moments is coming out at work. We know from quite a lot of lesbians that they feared the moment when people at their workplace found out about them being gay. You might have a good and much respected position. You're known for making a good job and people respect you. Telling them you're gay should not make a difference in your job position or the respect you'...

Coming out of the closet is a difficult step for most of us. And it never ends: every time we meet someone new, a small coming out follows the first one. We know that this process can be difficult, particularly the first time: we are afraid how the people we love will react. And that's probably the most natural fear in our queer lives! Personally, we believe that we do not want people in our lives who do not accept us as who we are: women who love women (besides many other things). But this doesn't have to be your opinion. You might not want to come out to everyone to preserve relationships that are important to you. But in any case, make sure that you are safe before you decide to come out! Our coming out stories are quite different from each other and, at the same time, quite the same. For Ilse,  coming out was and still is a longer process. Looking back at her teenage years and her 20s makes a lot of things quite clear now: w hen most of her female friends fancied guys...