I came out as gay/bisexual (it's complicated, don't ask) to my parents and brother nearly two years ago now. They've been really supportive of me since then and have tried to help me however they could. I'm also out and proud at my university campus and my friends all know. Apart from this small circle, however, I haven't told anyone else.

Recently, I've been thinking about coming out publicly to the rest of my family, friends and the world in general. Just one problem: my little brother goes to an all-boys school which, as you can imagine, isn't exactly friendly towards LGBTIA individuals.

My brother, while 17 years old, is quite small and easy to push around. When I spoke to him about it, he told me that he believes that, should I come out, the people at school would likely use me being gay to harass and bully him.

So now I'm torn on two fronts. On the one side, I feel like I'm dying slowly inside because of this lie I have to keep living day to day. On the other side, if I found out that I was the reason someone hurt my little brother, I don't think I'd be able to handle it.

For now, I've said that I'll wait until my brother finishes high school before coming out publicly. But that's two years away. I don't think I can make it 'till then.