As of my own "getting out" backstory, I started professing my gayness first to unknown people, acquaintances so to speak. With the prospect of having a group of people with whom I was free to be myself.
Then I started opening up about it with close friends, and family was last as their opinions were the ones that mattered the least, because I'm wasn't (still am) not willing get closer to them.
But that's my tip, if you can't be gay to everyone at least have a couple of friends with whom you can, and I don't mean forum friends, for as awesome as some people here are, but people from your college, your own town, etc.