About Coming Out Stories
Presented by Emma Goswell, Coming Out Stories will take you to one the most important moments in many people’s lives.
It will perch you on sofas in suburban sitting rooms, stand you in front of officials’ desks, put you at the centre of a crowd in a noisy classroom, everywhere where these conversations have happened.
It doesn’t even matter if you haven’t had a conversation like this yourself, or indeed ever plan to. Everyone can recognise the innate human desire to love and be loved, and that’s what these stories are about.
Coming Out Stories: The Book
Published in January 2021, Coming Out Stories is now available in print form!
Esteemed TV Writer and Producer Russell T Davies said of the book:
- This is written with so much heart. It’s full of love and hope and liberation. Even the tougher stories are told with strength and the potential for change. From Stonewall, to Jamaica to Canal Street, the writers speak with such honesty and insight, it’s thrilling. And they’re hilarious too! This book is so vital, it’ll be a talisman for so many, a beacon, a path out of the shadows. It should be in every school and home, to reach out to those in need, or those remembering their own journey. It made me cry, it made me hoot, it made me rage and it made me think. I think, really, I learnt from this. The book contains so many voices from the next wave of queer identity, it taught me better ways to talk and react and help. That’s wonderful!
Coming Out Stories: Personal Experiences of Coming Out from Across the LGBTQ+ Spectrum is available from all good book shops including:
From Amazon Reviews:
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I have to say I wish this book had existed at all the points of my life when I was thinking about coming out. The stories aren’t all positive to start with, but the ones I’ve read so far do demonstrate that no matter what happens in the initial moment, things do get better. They might not look how we hoped but it will be okay.
S
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Would be a great handbook for teachers , counsellors etc. Highly recommended. We need more books like this.
A. P. Holt
The Latest Episode of
Coming Out Stories
The moment Christina saw a woman looking back at her in the mirror changed everything. "I can't really describe the euphoria," she reveals. "It was like finding something I didn't know was missing."
Christina's journey began with childhood signs that went unrecognised. Growing up in the 1990s, she always gravitated toward traditionally feminine activities and friendships with girls, yet lacked the framework to understand her identity. When her father bought her football tickets as a treat, she innocently asked, "Have I been really naughty? Is this a punishment?"
Her journey took a troubling detour at university when she first approached a GP about gender dysphoria, only to be dismissed with antidepressants that numbed rather than helped. "I was treating a symptom in a very negative, very non-constructive way," Christina reflects. Years passed before the COVID lockdown forced her to confront suppressed feelings and begin her transition in earnest.
Coming out proved so challenging that Christina initially wrote letters to friends, unable to verbalise her identity. While most relationships survived her transition, including a remarkable friendship with her supportive ex-wife, others couldn't accept her authentic self. Today, Christina works with trans support groups in Greater Manchester, helping others navigate similar journeys.
Her story illuminates the power of persistence through societal barriers and personal doubt. As Christina puts it: "It's a marathon, not a sprint… I never thought I'd be able to get to where I am now." Her experience reminds us that while finding yourself may be difficult, the joy of authenticity makes every step worthwhile.
Presented by Emma Goswell
Produced by Sam Walker
We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod
We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now!
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Coming Out Stories is a What Goes On Media Production