I'm struggling hard with coming out to my parents. I've hinted at it before and I could feel how disappointed they would be about it. Do you have any advice? I know they will still love me, but I am so scared they will think of me differently.

I think timing is everything in cases like this.
Depending on where you are in life right now... are you dependent on them still for anything? Will it put your living situation or school funding in jeopardy?

More to the point, I tend to advise that it's a question of "do they need to know right now?".

I'm not necessarily an advocate of coming out just to come out, if that makes sense.
"The closet" is a social construct in and of itself, and you're not necessarily in it just because you're not proclaiming your sexuality publicly. You are who you are regardless of who knows it. A person doesn't have to announce it to be any more "legit"...

Do you have a significant other they're apt to find out about? Are they pressuring you about "finding someone", trying to hook you up with someone you're not attracted to? If there's no reason to tell them right now, it can wait.

When there IS a reason -- then you think about timing, how to approach them with it, how you want it to play out. Have a backup plan in your head in case things really go south - somewhere else safe to stay for the night, if you still live with them, for example.

Be ready for the backlash you may get, the questions they may ask you, the usual accusations of it being "just a phase" or that "you're just confused" or "haven't found the right person yet" - play it out in your mind, figure out how you'll deal with these things and how you want to answer. Will they tell you to go to church or see a shrink? How will you answer that?
And of course there's always the likelihood that it won't go like anything you expect... but having played out the possibilities in your head beforehand can help a lot.

I'm sorry to hear that they'd likely react poorly; that's a hell of a thing to have hanging over your head, and I'm betting it's a source of stress to you as well. If and when you do tell them, I do recommend giving them some info about PFLAG, (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays -- and they've newly added support for transfolk as well ) so they have some resources to turn to in getting to acceptance themselves.

PFLAG.org Get Support: http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=209

DM me on twitter if you want to talk more about it, or just need to vent at someone for a bit. I hope any of this helps.

Have at it.