Two days after New Jersey became the fourth state to allow civil unions for homosexuals, a Penn State professor says more people are coming out earlier than in previous years.

Anthony D'Augelli, associate dean of the College of Health and Human Development, said 20 years ago different sexual orientations were viewed as "mental illness" but are now seen as a "part of life."

D'Augelli co-authored a 2001 study of 400 lesbian, gay or bisexual 60-year-old people whose average age of personal awareness of their sexuality was age 13. The average age of disclosure was age 23.

In 2005, he conducted an additional survey of 542 young people to find the average age of personal awareness of sexuality for males was between ages 9 and 10 and for females around age 11. The average age of disclosure was between ages 16 and 17.

D'Augelli said the predisposed notion that most adolescents are heterosexual is a homophobic belief. This notion can force people to make a premature choice about their sexuality, usually away from homosexuality, he said.

According to a 2005 Penn State Pulse survey, 4.5 percent of students identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or unsure about their sexual orientation. Allison Subasic, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People and their Allies (LGBTA) Student Resource Center, said she believes the actual number is probably closer to 7 percent or higher.

"We see over 9,000 visitors in our office every year," Subasic said. "A majority of those are undergraduates, and many are allies."

D'Augelli said the time of sexual orientation disclosure is often based on exposure to lesbian or gay people and the political or religious views of the location in which a young person grows up.

"In the '60s through the '80s, students almost always came out in college," Subasic said. "But today, we even have parents calling us to ask what kind of services we provide for LGBT students."

In general, families are more accepting of different sexual orientations, which can lead to gay people coming out at an earlier age, D'Augelli said.

Subasic said family or religious background, the area in which people grew up and their support system are all factors that affect "coming out of the closet."

Although resources for and acceptance of LGBT students have increased in recent years, there are still people who fear rejection because of their sexual orientation. Subasic said peer-to-peer harassment, especially student-to-student, is the most prevalent form of prejudice against LGBT people.

"For someone who has a social group [family or friends] that is anti-gay, coming out can be as painful as it was decades ago," D'Augelli said.

Peggy Lorah, director of the Center for Women Students, said movies and television shows have helped students feel more comfortable about coming out.

"People like Ellen Degeneres, who is hosting the Oscars this year, have really helped," Lorah said. "Her process of coming out on TV has been watched, and she is a likeable person just like everyone else."