Well, I dont know about your church you are dealing with but many christian and even some catholic churches now are LGBTQ friendly and family you just kinda got to get a feeler out to see how they would react. now to the point of introvert nature, I am one as well and I have a good number of friends. I wouldn't say i have many local ones but they are there. If you are considering coming out and do not have to this instant (IE not dating a same sex partner or something) it gives you time to prepare. I am sure that with the presidential change there will be many things in the news related to LGBTQ matters that you could use as a smoke screen to get a feel for just how people will react. Bring up the topics, use another family member or you as an example if they are being resistant, the what if so and so or what if i was scenario. The church situation, you'd just have to find out its stance and if nothing else there are always others out there. I mean lets be honest, do you really want to go to a hostile environment every day even if you are not out? That change might be worth investigating whether you come out or not. Now beyond work life and that, friends, you should start looking for friends who would be more allies to your situation. Support groups online or off, most places have something though some can be hard to find especially with the whole covid thing. Depending on hobbies and interests, you can probably find friends in that area as well. Till now you've been stacking furniture against that closet door and it sounds like part of you is saying hey maybe we should remove it. we dont have to open the door but maybe we should leave the option there at least. you know incase of fire. I think being an introvert you might want to get used to internet things some if you aren't already. Online friends, while you cant go out to the bar or something, can be a good source of interaction. Systems like Skype, Discord, and the like provide a meeting place for a group even if not in person. Online games and other such things help you meet people make friends and you might find the world is more welcoming than the corner you are in now. At the very least, you dont have to come out today i dont think, so maybe start looking at moving some of those pieces of furniture from the closet door and set yourself up in a better place for if you ever do. You dont have a stamp on your forehead for the world to see so use that to make your social and work lives more in line with what you would be the more comfortable with. No matter what it is, whether someone who is LGBTQ, someone who likes tattoos or what, you dont always have to be in an uncomfortable place if you dont want to be, you just have to make sure that you start branching out to more comfortable areas.

Thank you for your advice. I have several things to consider and will try and take small steps in the right direction. Small changes can result in good changes later.

They most certainly can, and in the end, Even if you never decided to come out, at least you can eventually have gotten to where you are simply comfortable with yourself as you are. Which is really the end goal right? I mean you dont have to invite everyone into your bedroom so long as you are content with who you are, no one elses business really.

I agree with WW, pretty much where I'm at. New I was gay but tried to marry myself out of it. If I wasn't born gay it might have worked. I have been out to some friends and that has helped sustain me. I couldn't emotionally handle a divorce for a variety of reasons. So I make the best of what I have and it's worked so far. Spending time with gay friends is the best way for me to feel part of the LGBTQ community as well as helping in the community.

In the same boat as you. Conservative muslim family.

Yes, as a Kinship parent when the resource team found out inadvertently, they've destroyed my life at every turn since. When reported the workers, there wasn't a single so much as a reply by their supervisors. Save yourself. The people that say they're all the most open and encourage your trust will, as always be the ones to stab you while hugging you.