LGBT+ young people should "hit pause" on coming out while self-isolating with their families during the coronavirus pandemic, a UK charity has advised.

The Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), a UK charity that helps young LGBT+ i people facing homelessness, told Sky News their advice would be to "think hard" before coming out during this time.

"If you're a young person and you're thinking of coming out, press pause on that until you get support," said Tim Sigsworth, AKT's CEO.

Image: One in ten adults would feel uncomfortable if their child came out, according to research from YouGov

Mr Sigsworth expressed concern for how families may react to their child coming out in this particularly stressful time and warned of the dangers of being homeless during the pandemic.

"You can't predict at these completely unprecedented times how your parents will react. They, like you, are under a lot of stress and they may not react in a positive way.


"We're all being told to self-isolate, so being on the streets, it has to be the most dangerous place for a vulnerable young person at the moment," he said.

Coming out can put young people at risk of homelessness if their families reject them. LGBT+ people make up a quarter of the UK's young homeless population, according to the charity.

AKT also say more than three quarters of LGBT+ homeless people say their family rejecting them is their primary reason for being homeless.

Although many aspects of society have improved for the LGBT+ community, such as the introduction of gay marriage and transphobia i being categorised as a hate crime, being open with family members can still be risky.

Research by AKT and YouGov found that one in 10 adults would feel uncomfortable if their child came out. One in five worry about how family members would respond to them having an LGBT+ child.

Since the UK went into lockdown, councils have been asked to house all rough sleepers, but it can be hard to house clients who show symptoms of the virus.

Image: LGBT+ rights have come far in recent years, such as the introduction of equal marriage and the categorising of transphobia as a hate crime

"We had a young person very early on in the crisis who was staying in a hostel, but then started to show symptoms and the hostel asked them to leave," Mr Sigsworth said.

"They had nowhere to stay and no family; their family had rejected them. They had no work, no options other than the street."

Some charities are now working with hotels to house rough sleepers and enable them to self-isolate if needs be. But for those young people staying with family who are considering coming out, AKT's advice is clear.

"Talk to somebody, get some advice. Maybe pause for the minute and let's look at what your situation is."