65 Before And After Coming Out Of The Closet Pictures That Show Just How Powerful LGBTQ People Are

In honor of National Coming Out Day, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to show us their coming out of the closet "gay glow-up," and here are some of my favorites from this week and years past.

1."Surprisingly, coming out of the closet meant making moves away from the V-neck shirts." —esoken

2."Six years out and thriving." —Ash

3."In the closet...

"...out of the closet." — sleepinggiant94

4."16 vs. 26, Green Day vs. Madonna." —michaela71

5."Boom. Three years of YouTube makeup tutorials, opening the closet door, and adapting plaid into my wardrobe." —breyonnamorgan

6."Before coming out as bisexual and non-binary...

...and after." —sgatchell

7."Quite a transformation I’d like to say." #GayGloUp —ajj

8."All my life I’ve felt beat down. I battled brain cancer, hence the baldness, but I am the happiest queer you could imagine. I am in touch with my mind, my body, and my queerness, and I would never change that." —ChipBuzz

9."I joined the Air Force when I was 18 to serve my country and to be a police officer. I thought the lifestyle would make me act like a 'man.' Ten years later, I’m out of the closet, loved by my wingmen, and I learned what a real man really is." —Cody

10."Not that I quite knew yet that I was trans, but as a teenager and young adult, I struggled with the discomfort of having to perform femininity because I thought that's what was expected of me. Now, in my 30s, I have been out of the closet for about seven years and couldn't be happier." —padawanryan

11."The 'before' me tried bangs and heavy eyeliner and had no idea she was bisexual. The 'after' me has no time for makeup (most of the time), smiles more authentically, and is proud to be a bisexual female dating a man no matter who tries to put her in a box!!!" —Olivia

12."From an awkward performing arts kid to a proud pansexual queen with the best partner ever." —Alexa

13."2008 versus 2018. I wore striped tights literally all the time, and somehow my family was still stunned when I came out as bi?!" —Casey

14."I was painfully in the closet and depressed till I was 28 years old. When I came out, I decided to switch my whole life up. I started working out, eating healthy, and living my best open life! I’ve never been happier!" —Evan

15."High school freshman deep in the closet versus super-gay college sophomore." —Cheyenne

16."What a difference a decade, a coming out, and a haircut can make." —Sheldon

17."I was scared of not knowing if I was gay and how the world would accept me, full of insecurities; now I am comfortable in my own skin and very happy being part of the LGBTQ community and helping others as much as possible!" —ferfornelli

18."I used to be an awkward, dorky weirdo trying to be as pretty and girly as possible. Now I'm much more comfortable in my own skin." —Eleanor

19.Going from looking like a ninth runner-up on The Bachelor to a fierce bi prideista is a solid glow-up." —Hannah

20."Before realizing I liked girls...(or more like, I wasn't interested in dating and therefore didn't ponder over what gender I was attracted to)." —alexnordi01

"And now, nine years later. I "came out" (ugh, I hate that term) as lesbian and asexual. And I guess this is me coming out as nonbinary." —alexnordi01

21."People in high school were always trying to get me out of my shorts into skirts. I never felt like I was good enough. Since then, I’ve cut my hair off and found a style to fit me, and I’ve never felt better. I’m more confident in myself now, and I’ve never felt more at home in my own skin." —Ray

22."I was a total tomboy and totally 'straight' thanks to internalized homophobia; now I'm out-and-proud gay! (And still a total tomboy with better hair!)" —Sophie

23."From a closeted 15-year-old to a super-gay, super-married 25-year-old. I am more happy, more fulfilled, and more successful than I could possibly have imagined." —Tony

24."Second puberty for the win." —arrow1122

25."Sixteen-year-old me, who wore mostly bigger clothing and a coat no matter how hot it was because I was insecure, versus 26-year-old me, who is out, proud, and loud 🏳️‍🌈 ." —Marcel Walker

26."First one is from right around Father's Day 2016, and the second one is from Mother's Day 2021." —Valerie

27."At 17: beauty queen, valedictorian, Mormon, model oldest child. At 27: fat, bisexual, nonbinary, tattooed, rebel auntie (Doc Martens not pictured)." —ljeppso

28."From being in a sorority and hiding, to quitting a sorority and being a proud 'she'/'they' queer." —countsk288

29."In the closet, hiding behind my hair...

...and out of the closet, still rocking the black eyeliner!" —yoiink

30."Prom photo, from when I was 16 and super closeted. I'm now 22 and out and proud as agender/demiboy and queer!" —forest_nymph24

31."Cute 3-year-old to awkward 34-year-old."—khelmondollar

32."From in the closet at 13 (don’t know how any of us missed the signs there) to being my most authentic me at 30 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈." —boheezyinak

33."Not caring what people think of you and a good haircut are the two most essential ingredients to a #GayGlowUp." —livefreeordavid

34."It’s not really a #gayglowup but a trans one counts too, right?" —august2002

35."Happier." —savannah

36."Came out and eyebrows came in #gayglow." —cathy

37."Before...

...and after. Still the same person in my core though and always will be ♥️" —chaisisshort

38."18 years old to 23 years old. Thank the Lord for the gym and for puberty." —griffinp3

39."From awkward 'girl' to happy, proud, bi trans man." —maximusprime

40."I was a skinny, sad, closeted guy 10 years ago. I didn't know where I belonged. Now, I know I like the bear scene and also guys!" —ferfornelli2

41."From 16 and dating guys for attention and self-esteem boosts to screaming rainbows at Pride and marrying the love of my life #gayglowup." —shoshi

42."20 years and 60 pounds later, I'm far more comfortable with who I am." —chaseg2

43."From shy Catholic school boy to, well, whatever you wanna call it." —dagiaaka

44."Then vs. now." —gabbiehurrellwills

45."Ditched my long hair, dresses, and my boyfriend and embraced the gay (and got a wonderful girlfriend in the process)." —dngayest

46."Much happier now." —munchkin233

47."From 16 to 21, my last boyfriend and my now-fiancé." —magsaloo

48."15 going on 25." —carsenw

49."I've felt less awkward about myself since I came out, and I'm proud to be a trans guy." —eggan

50."Peep my Jonas Brothers dog tag in the first photo." —maggieb

51."14 and closeted vs. 18 out and proud bi." —kaitwritesthings

52."I’m basically unrecognizable as my baby closeted self." —julz98

53."From popped collar to PR executive." —matthewb81

54."From a closeted, depressed Nebraska boy to an out, proud, fitness-addicted Coloradan. Thank god for living authentically!" —aaronm4382cb86a

55."Almost exactly a year apart. I went from an awkward, small-town cheerleader to a confident, Pan college kid marching in my first Pride Fest in Memphis." —melissaadellep

56."From the sticks of MD to LA gay!" —kevinu

57."When you finally leave the gender binary ☺️✌?#theythem" —ryleep437b39e80

58."21 vs. 25 learned to live in color." —alex

59."Seeing Gaga the first time vs. the second time." —jaker3

60."I wish the little guy on the left knew that a decade later, all his dreams would come true: I'm living as an expat in New York City, working in diversity." —Michael B.

61."Lord help me." —jordanb

62."I knew I was powerfully gay by age 4. I was never ashamed of it but, still had to play in 'survival mode' back then and not ruffle any feathers... Hence the school dance photo with a girl. This is 10-plus years, 100-plus pounds, and unfortunately $1,000-plus in skincare products later. I'm so happy how far we've come in LGBTQ+ equal rights, but I will never take it for granted considering how lucky we are compared to our fellow peers in countries that are still decades behind in LGBTQ+ protections. Hopefully one day everyone can stop playing in 'survival mode' and just truly live." — corneliastreetfighter

63."Before and after." —imogen201006

64."9 years old vs. 32 years old." —johnnyvb

65."In the closet...

...and out." —zoethebugg

If you'd like to add your own gay glow-up for a future post, please upload it in the comments!

Join BuzzFeed as we celebrate National Coming Out Day from Oct. 10–14. You can explore more coming out and queer content over on our LGBTQ page.