‘Coming out’ to public servants has uneven consequences across identities and countries

Public service interactions often require minority citizens to disclose stigmatized identities, but whether this invites discrimination or prosocial responses remains poorly understood. We investigate how ‘coming out’ to public servants affects LGBT+ citizens’ treatment. In field experiments across progressive countries, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark (N = 1,611 organizations), LGBT+ disclosure generally improved response rate or quality, though benefits were weakest for Danish transgender clients. A follow-up survey revealed limited organizational preparedness despite positive responses. A mechanism-testing experiment in the UK and Western Europe (N = 943) showed that compassion drives willingness to help, but in this broader sample LGBT+ clients elicited less compassion, reducing help particularly for transgender clients. Thus, disclosure consequences are emotionally mediated and institutionally contingent, creating uneven service outcomes across identities and countries. To advance equity, institutions must address affective biases and structural preparedness, ensuring disclosure does not reinforce the inequalities it aims to reduce.