If some of them are hostile to gays then Thanksgiving would probably be a pretty dramatic time to come out . I ' d start with just the sisters . But remember that if you ' re asking them to keep a secret , that might be a lot of pressure for them , and they could slip up at some point . You might want to come out to them , and ask them for their helpadvice for coming out to your brother and parents that way it ' s not like you ' re asking them to keep a secret indefinitely . Remember , if they ' re hostile , the best leverage you have over them is your presence in their life . If they can ' t be civil , it ' s OK to let them know that you don ' t want to spend time with them until they treat you better . And you never know , they might be great about it !