I think I will do that at least for a long time if not forever. I do not consider coming out until a time comes when the people I know and care about now are no longer with me or close to me. As everyone said, it is different for everyone and you are the only one who is able to properly balance pros and cons.

The risk of losing almost everyone you knew so far is one of those situations I guess. This is a real risk if you live in a conservative community.

You should definetely use VPN as the European countries will focus on torrenting issues more in the future.