Ask the Aunties: How do I come out to my family?

PinkNews brings you a new series, Ask the Aunties, where our fabulous aunties answer your dilemmas.

From dating to telling your pals your pronouns, no dilemma is left unanswered.

Lee Gray, Karnage Kills and Rhys Hollis are the queer agony aunts you always wanted.

In the second episode of the series, the aunties answer a dilemma sent in anonymously from someone who is struggling to come out to their family.

The anonymous reader asks: “I’m having issues coming out to my family.

“Can I ask how you came out to your family and if you had fears of them not being supportive? Because that’s my biggest fear.”

Karnage waited until he finished school to come out to his mum, who is his “best friend.”

He said you shouldn’t “jump into anything head-first” but instead gauge who might be the most accepting person in your family to speak to.

Ask the Aunties: Lee, Rhys and Karnage

Rhys added that you should make sure you have an action plan in place, and have friends to lean on.


However, family may react better than you expect – “you might be surprised,” he added.

Lee advised that “if it is negative, try and find someone outside of that environment who you can confide in or stay with.”

Episode one of Ask the Aunties saw our agony aunts help a 16-year-old from Argentina who is struggling with his sexuality.

Lee Gray is a YouTuber and part-time podcaster with Karnage Kills – together they produce a podcast about black queer men’s experiences living and dating in London, called Wolves in the City.

Ask the Aunties

Karnage is a rapper and grime artist from north London, regularly performing on the queer scene. You can also listen to his tracks on SoundCloud.

Rhys Hollis is a drag and cabaret performer, including at The Glory in Dalston, London. You catch him performing at Queefy Cabaret in London on June 8.

Subscribe to PinkNews on YouTube to catch new weekly episodes of Ask the Aunties.