LGBT, psychologically speaking (religion aside) why would a gay person decide to remain in the closet?

Personally speaking, as a gay atheist, I do it for work reasons. I tend to find jobs in small, extremely homophobic fields.

Of the people I am out to, I try to keep them as far away from my work place as possible. About the last thing I need is to get outed while I'm showing someone around an airport facility or construction site.

I also do it for the fact that I'd rather be judged as a person before I'm judged for my sexuality. The gender of whomever I sleep with has absolutely nothing to do with my personality, friendships or capabilities. And in many cases, I feel it's better to play my cards close to the vest.

If I want to come out to someone, and trust them to let me handle coming out to others, I will. The current environment makes it safer for me to let my sexuality simply be between myself and whomever I'm dating.

D

There are many factors. It is going to depend on where one lives. If I am in a part of the world where it is OK to be out and accepted, then it is better that I be out. But if live in a place like Iran or Uganda where being out is a death sentence, I would do better to stay in the closet. It is also going to depend on the person. If I am a popular person that everyone likes, then being out will be accepted by social group. But if I am a loner that does not have great interpersonal skills, then it will be harder to portray how I am in a positive way. Don't forget - only 10 percent of the population is gay.

well as you probably know it depends on the persons situation and the influences from those around them. For example if you come from an unaccepting very religious family that believes homosexuality is a sin and that they should all be put to death you probably wouldn't want to come out to them. Also even if those around you aren't religious they could still be unaccepting or against homosexuality. plus as human beings we are born worrying about people think of us and fitting in and some people don't want to give up their reputation or the way others think of them and how they fit in to be open about it. Lastly some people just don't think it's anyone elses business or that they should have to announce it. Hope this helped sorry, for any grammar errors I was typing too fast.

Fear of judgment mostly. Especially seeing as everyone thinks they need to have an opinion on the matter even though it's none of their business (caused as a little side-effect of the media and internet). Luckily the majority of the opinions is positive, but a lot are also negative.

There are multiple reasons as to why people can hate or misunderstand homosexuality and it's not always religion. Cultural differences, negative experiences with homosexual individuals, general ignorance, lack of education on homosexuality, fear of association, peer-pressure. All of which could solicit hostile behavior from a person who can't rationalize with it i.e. a non-religious/not religiously driven homophobe.

Social pressure (friends, particularly in long term relationships, matter too, and for many people just general public acceptance really matters a great deal) - economic pressure (out male homosexuals in most non-elite positions make less than their straight male counterparts while working more. This disappears in elite professions like medicine, academia and law.) - family pressure (does it really matter whether you believe that god doesn't exist or that god(dess) loves you as you are, when knowing would devastate your mother or grandfather or whatever to find out?) and lastly legal pressure (there are still many states where gays have significantly fewer rights than straights -- and gays lack all sorts of federal rights).

It will be 40 years after the last legal barriers drop before the last social ones do - and then it will be 20 to 40 years before all the gays are out of the closet.

I have a cute story though. A local morning show dj is lesbian. She was somewhat closeted still, even though we are in a full equality state, until one day her great grandmother, who is 100 years old this year, got an equality sticker and put it on her door. The DJ, who happened to be visiting got to hear a wonderful exchange between the old gal and her last remaining "old" friend.

"What does that mean?"

"Means gay people ought to be able to get married"

"What do you know about gay people?"

"Enough to know my great granddaughter is one and she ought to be able to get married."

"Oh, ok, I guess I'll get me one too then."

The DJ fully came out immediately, fully, that week, and found out her audience didn't care either.

Regards,

Hermes

It is mainly to do with status, status in your own eyes and in others.

If I had some tossed and turned nights fighting with myself over the implications of being openly gay on my status to myself and to others, then I can only imagine those with lesser strength and courage will find it to be an insurmountable cliff. Everyone is thinking about their status when they consider whether to accept you or not. Unless they are just free spirits, but even these reap the cost of outspoken freedom, and must be wise to stay on top.

I really have nothing to worry though, since there is only my mother and my elders sisters who live together elsewhere, and perhaps my neighbourhood (though they don't need to know), my college peers, my work peers, and the strangers in the street.

I am scared of the positive evaluation too, I don't want people having funny ideas about me that do not represent me in the right dignity.

And if some LGBT fanatic walks my way down the street, or I find myself in some social group full of anxious weirdos or looney toons, I might wish to hide, since I know so well how my speech is restricted with the fanatical ones. Also, if I do meet such, I will use all my experience to ensure I have my voice and am myself, have my boundaries and my space, so I don't find myself in some conformity bound LGBT collective.

Afraid to be judged.

I'm not a homosexual, but I can imagine he probably has a lot of friends that he enjoys having around (maybe he's even infatuated with one of his friends), and he's afraid that coming out of the closet may change that.

Even though there are atheists living in the western world who are not Christian, our society and culture is still Judeo-Christian. It's like what Richard Dawkins said, he's an atheist, but his morals, mannerism, etc. are still Christian because of society.

Because in some countries, gay people are hunted down for sport, like in Iraq and other places.

Because people rather believe horrid stereotypes about gays than to find out the truth.

Ignorance, arrogance and plain old hatred.

i do no longer probable understand what keeps me going. i don't have a terror of loss of life, or of eternal damnation or in spite of this is that fuels maximum human beings. i'm no longer happy continuously, and that i extremely do no longer see life as a 'privilege', yet i think that no rely what may be after loss of life, i'm alive now. And no rely if or no longer I rely or the international around me concerns interior the grand scheme of issues, I easily have no longer something greater advantageous to do than save residing. loss of life could be this type of waste of the time i ought to have. there is a lot greater to do in this international that i've got no longer yet (females, to illustrate), and that i could rather de-funk myself by ability of experimenting with the unknown than sulking correct to the mundane and unchangeable. of direction, some cases I doubt myself, and picture in step with hazard it may be greater advantageous to end and purely end all of it, yet then I opt for that "whats up, if i'm bored now, what do you think of eternity will experience like?" notice: Boredom and melancholy pass hand in hand for me, so I oftentimes equate them.

Many people out there are homophobic. Coming out is basically throwing yourself into the lion's den. You know what you are getting into, and you will surely be attacked by others (figuratively). Fortunately, if you come out, you will find someone just like you, and soon you wont care about others (I guess)