Coach Charges Hundreds to Help Women Come Out as Lesbians Later in Life

Middle-aged women are paying hundreds of dollars to join online support groups and receive coaching to help them come out as lesbians later in life, according to a report in The New York Times.

Anne-Marie Zanzal, a self-described "coming out coach," charges up to $400 for private online memberships aimed at women who she says are undergoing "sexual identity transitions." Some of these women are still married to their husbands and have families, according to the report. Zanzal, who came out at age 52 after nearly 30 years of marriage and raising four children, offers a 16-week program called "This Authentic Life," which includes group and individual coaching, as well as access to an online community.

Her website states the program helps women "come home to themselves — with clarity, self-kindness, and community — so they can live authentically without abandoning the lives and relationships that matter to them." Testimonials on Zanzal's site suggest the coaching has helped clients feel less selfish about leaving marriages and better able to be honest with themselves and their families.

During support meetings, participants share updates and discuss their experiences with Zanzal. One client, identified as Shelly, expressed concern that coming out would disrupt her family dynamic, but Zanzal reportedly helped her understand that her children's potential unhappiness would likely fade, while her own suppressed identity could lead to permanent pain.

Not everyone views this trend positively. Podcast host Ben Ferguson told Fox News Digital that he found the coaching service's messaging "outrageous." He criticized the idea that children's pain over a parent's transition would fade while the parent's unhappiness would be permanent, stating, "Children aren't disposable characters in their parents’ journey of self-discovery. Marriage involves commitment, and parenting requires sacrifice."

Ferguson also described Zanzal's business model, which includes $150 "clarity calls" and $77 self-paced courses, as "deeply disturbing" and accused it of monetizing women's personal struggles. "This isn’t about being gay or straight," he said. "It’s about charging people hundreds of dollars to navigate decisions that could tear their families apart, with seemingly zero accountability for the damage left behind. That’s not compassion or empowerment. That’s opportunism disguised as counseling."

However, Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff offered a different perspective, suggesting that Zanzal's approach reflects a broader cultural shift. "There is so much more freedom and language around sexuality and what makes a modern relationship that it isn’t surprising older women are looking at that and realizing they never had space to ask some of these deep questions of themselves," Shroff told Fox News Digital.

According to a 2024 Gallup survey, only 1% of LGBTQ+ women come out at age 50 or older. Zanzal did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.