I came out to my parents over the telephone, and my partner was standing right next to me. Of course there was a good reason to use the telephone as my father was several states away my mother at least one.
Um no, neither phone call actually ended well. Mother screamed 'Don't you ever call me back again you son of a bitch' (
Yeah yeah, I asked her once if I'm a son of a bitch what does that make her?) My father literally changed the subject to weather and the effects it had had on his crops. Mother eventually 'took me back' - well there is a lot of other stuff there so taking me back isn't what really happened, not acceptance either. Father ended up disowning me, he hasn't talked to me in well over a decade.
As for coming out to people who I knew and lived in the same town (Las Vegas) - my partner was with me at each and every telling. For one person it came to blows between that person and my partner of the time with words such as 'rapist' being thrown out as the person firmly believed that my partner was 'forcing' me to be gay
While a couple just up and cut off ties and called me 'sicko/pervert/faggot and other definitive words to make it clear what they thought, I think the most painful ones were the ones who smiled and said 'oh, that's nice - no problem' then ended up shunning me slowly and backing away and lying through their teeth that they didn't have a problem with homosexuality.
Of course that was in the last century, the Dark Ages where people believed gays were made, or homosexuality was a choice - the whole idea that a gay man is born that way and hides his sexuality out of fear of being stomped into a mud puddle didn't catch on until the early 21st century.
I was fortunately to have a partner who was out and who had been down this road - he was a great support and a shoulder to cry on as I screwed up the courage to come out and to suffer the fall out of coming out.
There really isn't an 'easy' way to come out - no matter what happens, no matter how you are accepted (or not) by everyone, it is a traumatic, trying experience for the person. The fear of rejection is a real fear and can take its toll.
And if you are rejected, its really not you - its that individual unable to accept that humans come in all sorts of packages and that you are still the wonderful person you were before they knew.
You will be ok. Yes do take your partner along if you believe whomever you are telling will not view your partner and you 'ganging up' on them to deliver 'bad news'.