Why is it easier to "come out" to someone I just met than to my friends of years?

For me, I'd say its because there's still some sense of anonmitity between you and said new person. That's why telling the whole internet I'm pansexual is easier than telling my (gay, even) cousin.

well it's because they don't really know you like your best friend knows your family and stuff like that . When the trust in the relationship is looser , its easier

It's because you have more of an emotional attachment to your friends, and therefore their rejection would impact you a whole lot more than compared to someone you just met. It feels safer. And sometimes it's good practice.

i think it is easier because you do not have a connection that can be ripped apart with the person that you have known for a long time. You do not want to lose the person that you have known for a long time, so you go to someone new.

I'd say it's because when you've just met someone, you don't have too much of an emotional attachment to them, and they have never known you as someone else. However, when it's someone you've known for years, they are a person who has had a ginormous impact on your life and you coming out to them as something other than what they originally saw you as, is something that can be hard because you may be afraid of losing them, whereas if it's someone you just met, it wouldn't matter as much.

It's probably because strangers don't have as much of an emotional influence on you than those close to you. If a stranger responds badly, you might be offended but you can shrug it off more easily. If it's a close friend or a family member, however, it's going to hurt so much more. So the possibility of rejection and makes it more difficult to come out.

It might be easier to come out to someone you barely know than a good friend because you have nothing to lose if they decide to leave you. You might have worked hard for years to maintain your friendship and friends, so losing them can seem like a huge loss.

It's possible it's easier because you don't have that bond with them that you do with your friends so you not as afraid of losing favor with the stranger :)

I think the more we know someone, the more precious our relationship is to the person and in this case our friends. Coming out and being LGBT has been a controversial issue to those who are not understanding about it. With this in mind, we are afraid of destroying the harmony we have with our friends. We don't know how they would react, therefore, it's a high risk situation. With an acquaintance it can be easily forgotten.

This is likely because you already have an established reputation with your friends since you have known them for much longer. It's often difficult to introduce new information to them that you feel could potentially change their perception of you. Sometimes it's easier to "come out" to someone you just met because they have no pre-conceived notions of you, your history with them is too recent for their to have been much judgement passed, and you may feel like you have nothing to lose by being honest, whereas there may be a fear of losing old friends.