Viva: Coming out with 50+

Understanding your sexuality is a personal journey which can often be painful. For some who are attracted to the same sex, it can be a lifetime of confusion and struggle. Jenny Richter explores what it means to be coming out at a later stage in life.

How do you breach the topic, if you realize you're gay? LGBTI counsellor and psychotherapist Odelia Carmon suggests:

“Do it in stages, so maybe speak to the spouse first, then to the children... You can’t say, my darling, I’m gay, and expect to hop into their marital bed, it doesn’t work that well. So you’ve got to be ready to leave emotionally, psychologically, physically, and already set yourself up as though you’re leaving and then just go if that’s what you intend to do.”