Coming Out Late

In this short autobiographical book, Antoinette Artot decribes her experiences of growing up in a small town environment as the daughter of loving Christian parents. She describes the suicidal feelings of her teens and what seems to be an inevitable transition into a heterosexual lifestyle. It is a tale of innocence and awakening.In later life she experiences a massive identity crisis when she realizes she is physically attracted to women. The book explores issues of relationships and mental illness but eventually she finds the love of her life. Here Antoinette Artot is honest about her naive attempts to fit into a world she does not understand and the chaos that follows as a result. Artot identifies as bisexual because she has lived as a straight woman for half a lifetime. Her relationships with men were happy ones and she considers that part of herself is as relevant as the experience of love with her lesbian partner. For many people, bisexuals are either gay, straight or lying! They certainly have a bad reputation with many lesbians, and Ms Artot is at great pains to debunk myths about group sex and unfaithfulness.If you are interested in this sort of coming out story, LGBT autobiography, or just want to get a better handle on bisexuality, this book gives an easy to read and honest view of the psychological issues and emotions experienced by bisexual women. It also tackles issues of biphobia at work and in relationships. Finally, and Ms Artot says, most important, it is a plea to understand ourselves. It hopes that, one day, the lesbian community will accept and nurture those women who are late bloomers, who wake to a world full of promise and a whole series of different mores and behaviours they cannot understand.