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Coming out or coming out of the closet describes the voluntary public announcement of one's (primarily homosexual or bisexual) sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual " Queer studies " is the study of issues relating to Sexual orientation and Gender identity. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. LGBT history refers to the History of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Transgender peoples and cultures around the world dating back Timeline of Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and Transgender ( LGBT) history Homosexual rights during the 20th century Gay Liberation is the name used to describe the radical Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender social movements share related goals of social acceptance of Homosexuality, Bisexuality and Transgenderism Lesbian This is a Timeline of AIDS, including some discussion of early AIDS cases (especially those before 1980 Poliamory pride in San Francisco 2004jpg|thumb|Representatives of the Polyamory community at a San Francisco parade Gay community or LGBT community is a term used to describe the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender subculture LGBT pride or gay pride refers to a world wide movement and philosophy asserting that LGBT ( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and A gay village (also known as a gay neighborhood or by the slang gayborhood) is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries Queer theory is a field of Gender Studies that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of gay and Lesbian studies and feminist studies the relationship between homosexuality and religion can vary greatly across time and place within and between different Religions and Sects and regarding different Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender ( LGBT) communities have adopted certain Symbols and symbolates for Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. Questioning is a term that can refer to a person who is questioning their Gender, Sexual identity or Sexual orientation. The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex - everything from full legal recognition of Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to Marriage. LGBT adoption refers to the Adoption of children by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgendered people A sodomy law is a Law that defines certain Sexual acts as sex crimes. The militaries of the world have a variety of responses to Gays Lesbians and Bisexuals Most Western military forces have now removed policies excluding sexual Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain Social group, usually defined The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex - everything from full legal recognition of Same-sex marriage Heterosexism is a term that applies to attitudes, Bias, and Discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps Lesbophobia (sometimes Lesbiphobia) comprises various forms of negativity toward Lesbian women as individuals as a couple or as a social group Biphobia is a term used to describe the fear of aversion to or discrimination against Bisexuality or LGBT people who are bisexual or perceived to be bisexual Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes Gender identity (or core gender identity) is a person's own sense of Identification as Male or Female.
Being "out" means not concealing one's sexual orientation, usually a LGBT orientation. Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual This contrasts with being closeted which means concealing one's orientation. Coming outThe expressions " closeted " or "in the closet " generally refer to undisclosed sexual behavior, Sexual orientation or Gender Being outed refers to having one's sexual orientation made public typically against one's wishes or without one's consent. In the late twentieth century outing became a common term for taking someone "out of The closet "—that is publicising that someone is Gay. Outing is the process of deliberately disclosing the sexuality of another who wants to keep this information private. In the late twentieth century outing became a common term for taking someone "out of The closet "—that is publicising that someone is Gay. Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively
Some people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or who otherwise might prefer same-gender sexual activities or relationships, have engaged in heterosexual activities or have had long-term heterosexual relationships, including marriage. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation Well known examples include Sir Elton John and Oscar Wilde. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of
Such apparently "heterosexual" behavior by people who would otherwise consider themselves gay or lesbian has often been regarded as part of being "in the closet" to create an illusion for acceptance by heterosexual surroundings. Imposed heterosexuals are to be distinguished from "out" bisexuals in long-term heterosexual relationships.
Others who are "in the closet" have no heterosexual contact and simply want to protect themselves from discrimination or rejection by not revealing their sexual orientation or attractions (see pronoun game). "Playing the pronoun game " is the act of concealing sexual orientation in conversation by not using a Gender-specific pronoun for a partner or Some people may use the phrase "down-low" or "DL" in order to describe this state of being.
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History
The idea of coming out was introduced in 1869 by the German homosexual rights advocate Karl Heinrich Ulrichs as a means of emancipation. Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. for the (unrelated periodical directory see Ulrich's Periodicals Directory Karl-Heinrich Ulrichs weiner ( Aurich, 28 August Claiming that invisibility was a major obstacle toward changing public opinion, he urged homosexuals themselves to come out.
In his 1906 work Das Sexualleben unserer Zeit in seinen Beziehungen zur modernen Kultur (The Sexual Life of Our Time in its Relation to Modern Civilization)[1], Iwan Bloch, a German-Jewish physician, besought elderly homosexuals to come out to their heterosexual family members and acquaintances. Iwan Bloch (also known as Ivan Bloch ( April 8, 1872 – November 21, 1922) was a Berlin dermatologist Born in Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation
Magnus Hirschfeld revisited the topic in his major work The Homosexuality of Men and Women (1914), discussing the social and legal potentials of several thousand men and women of rank coming out to the police in order to influence legislators and public opinion. Magnus Hirschfeld ( May 14, 1868 - May 14, 1935) was a German- Jewish physician sex researcher, and early Gay rights [2]
The first important American to come out was the poet Robert Duncan. Robert Duncan ( January 7, 1919 – February 3, 1988) was an American poet and a student of H In 1944, using his own name in the anarchist magazine Politics, he claimed that homosexuals were an oppressed minority. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
In 1951, Donald Webster Cory[3][4] published his landmark The Homosexual in America, exclaiming, "Society has handed me a mask to wear. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January . . Everywhere I go, at all times and before all sections of society, I pretend. " Cory was a pseudonym, but his frank and openly subjective descriptions served as a stimulus to the emerging homosexual self-consciousness and the nascent homophile movement. The word homophile is an alternative to the word homosexual, preferred by some because it emphasizes love (" -phile " from Greek φιλία over
The decidedly clandestine Mattachine Society, founded by Harry Hay and other veterans of the Wallace for President campaign in Los Angeles in 1950, also moved into the public eye with many gays emerging from the closet after Hal Call took over the group in San Francisco in 1953. The Mattachine Society was the earliest lasting Homophile organization in the United States. Harry Hay ( April 7, 1912, Worthing, England – October 24, 2002) was a leader in the Gay rights Henry Agard Wallace (October 7 1888 &ndash November 18 1965 was the thirty-third Vice President of the United States (1941&ndash45 the eleventh Secretary of
In the 1960s, Frank Kameny came to the forefront of the struggle. Dr Franklin E Kameny (born May 21, 1925 in New York City) is "ne of the most significant figures" in the American Gay rights Having been fired from his job as an astronomer for the Army Map service for homosexual behavior, Kameny refused to go quietly. An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces He openly fought his dismissal, eventually appealing it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. As a vocal leader of the growing movement, Kameny argued for unapologetic public actions. The cornerstone of his conviction was that, "we must instill in the homosexual community a sense of worth to the individual homosexual," which could only be achieved through campaigns openly led by homosexuals themselves. His motto was "Gay is good. "
Transgender and transsexual usage
Sometimes Transgendered, transsexual, and intersexed people decide to live according to the gender role with which they more closely identify, and therefore choose to announce their gender identity and their intention of changing their sex if they wish to transition. Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives Transsexualism is a condition in which a person identifies with a physical Sex different from the one with which they were born Intersexuality is the state of a living thing of a gonochoristic species whose Sex chromosomes, Genitalia, and/or Secondary sex characteristics A gender role is defined as a set of perceived behavioural norms associated particularly with Males or Females in a given social group or system Gender identity (or core gender identity) is a person's own sense of Identification as Male or Female. An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual For example, unlike sexual orientation, coming out as female-identified rather than male-identified is not optional if one wishes to transition from one sex to another.
However, many transgender and especially transsexual people wish to hide their birth sex once they have transitioned. This is often referred to as going stealth. Thus a transsexual or transgender person can come out twice: once before the initial transition, and once afterward to those unfamiliar with their previous sex.
Process
Several models have been created to describe the coming out process (i. e. : Dank, 1971; Cass, 1984; Coleman, 1989; Troiden, 1989; Clayton Snyder, 2004) Of these models, the most widely accepted has been the one established by Vivienne Cass commonly known as Cass identity model. Clayton Travis Snyder (born September 9, 1987) is an American actor who played Ethan Craft in Lizzie McGuire and The Lizzie The Cass Identity Model is one of the fundamental theories of gay and lesbian identity development developed in 1979 by Vivienne Cass. This model outlines six discrete stages that individuals who successfully come out go through. These are identity confusion, identity comparison, identity tolerance, identity acceptance, identity pride, and identity synthesis.
Coming out is a gradual process and a journey[5]. It is common to come out first to a trusted friend or family member, and wait to come out to others. Some people are out at work but not to their families, or vice-versa. Still, one does not typically "come out" and have it done with; they must continue to make the choice to out themselves upon making every new acquaintance and in most new situations.
It is also common to hear the phrase, "coming out to oneself," meaning to acknowledge to oneself that one is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. This is the very first step in the coming-out process; it often involves soul-searching or a personal epiphany of some sort. Many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people go through a period prior to coming out when they believe their sexual orientation or behavior, or their cross-gender feelings to be "a phase", to be malleable, or when they reject their own feelings for religious or moral reasons. Coming out to oneself is one way to end that period of ambiguity and thus begin the process of self-acceptance.
Outing
The act of revealing a closeted person's orientation against his or her wishes is known as outing them. In the late twentieth century outing became a common term for taking someone "out of The closet "—that is publicising that someone is Gay. In the late twentieth century outing became a common term for taking someone "out of The closet "—that is publicising that someone is Gay. Sometimes it is used to prove a political point, or demonstrate a contradiction between private lifestyle and public stance. Outing may be found to be libel by a court of law (for example, in 1957 the closeted Liberace successfully sued the Daily Mirror for merely insinuating that he was gay). Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Wladziu Valentino Liberace He had a twin who died at birth and he was born with a Caul, which in his family as in many societies was taken as a sign of genius and an exceptional The Daily Mirror, often referred to simply as The Mirror, is a British Tabloid daily Newspaper founded in 1903 Note, however, that the Daily Mirror's defence was that the words complained of, in a column written by `Cassandra', did not imply that Liberace was gay. They did not attempt to prove the accusation was true justification: they attempted to prove that they had not made an accusation.
Current viewpoints
Today, more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are out than ever before, and many believe that being in the closet is unhealthy for the individual. A common saying is, "Closets are for clothes". One major gay magazine is titled Out Magazine. Out ( is a popular Gay men 's Fashion, Entertainment, and Lifestyle Magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly Coming out is often seen within gay and lesbian communities as politically healthy, even a duty or necessity, arguing that the more out gay people there are, the harder it will be for opponents to misrepresent, marginalize, and oppress. Others believe that coming out in the traditional, overt manner is not always individually or culturally appropriate. An alternative offered is "coming home", the process of introducing one's same-sex partner to family and friends as a close friend, leaving the actual sexual relationship perhaps implied, but unspoken. "Coming home" has not worked its way into the public lexicon in the way that "coming out" has, because of a concern that homophobic family members may blame the partner for turning their relative gay.
Judith Butler (1991) criticizes the in/out metaphor as creating a binary opposition which pretends that the closet is dark, marginal, and false and that being out in the "light of illumination" reveals a true (or essential) identity. Judith Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American Post-structuralist philosopher who has contributed to the fields of Feminism Diana Fuss (1991) explains, "the problem of course with the inside/outside rhetoric. . . is that such polemics disguise the fact that most of us are both inside and outside at the same time. " Further, "To be out, in common gay parlance, is precisely to be no longer out; to be out is to be finally outside of exteriority and all the exclusions and deprivations such outsiderhood imposes. Or, put another way, to be out is really to be in--inside the realm of the visible, the speakable, the culturally intelligible. " In other words, coming out constructs the closet it supposedly destroys and the self it supposedly reveals, "the first appearance of the homosexual as a 'species' rather than a 'temporary aberration' also marks the moment of the homosexual's disappearance--into the closet. " Lauren Smith (2000) summarizes, "to be 'out of the closet', then, as either gay or straight, according to Fuss and Butler, is always to contain or cover up another closet. "
However, Butler is willing to appear at events as a lesbian and maintains that, "it is possible to argue that. . . there remains a political imperative to use these necessary errors or category mistakes. A category mistake, or category error, is a Semantic or ontological error by which a property is ascribed to a thing that could not possibly have that property . . to rally and represent an oppressed political constituency. " Fuss also argues that deconstructing identities is positive only when it also dismantles differences in power, when the identities are consolidated and naturalized. For "women do not necessarily have the same historical relation to identity. . . and they do not necessarily start from a humanist fantasy of wholeness. " Again, Butler: "It is important. . . to affirm that gay and lesbian identities are not only structured in part by dominant heterosexual frames, but that they are not for that reason determined by them. They are running commentaries on those naturalized positions as well, parodic replays and resignifications of precisely those heterosexual structures that would consign gay life to discursive domains of unreality and unthinkability. "
Mainstream media
In the entertainment world, one of the most famous recent depictions of someone coming out occurred on a 1997 episode of the sitcom Ellen entitled "The Puppy Episode" when the character played by Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet, to coincide with the actress' real-life coming out. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Ellen (originally titled These Friends of Mine for season one is a U Ellen (originally titled These Friends of Mine for season one is a U Ellen Lee DeGeneres (born January 26 1958 is an eleven time Emmy Award -winning American stand-up comedian, Television host and actress
In 2005, the Oscar-nominated film Brokeback Mountain depicted the consequences of two gay men living in the closet, while in 1996 the acclaimed British film Beautiful Thing had a more positive take in its depiction of two teenage boys coming to terms with their sexual identity. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brokeback Mountain ( 2005) is a romantic - Drama film that depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Beautiful Thing is a play written and first performed in 1993 by Jonathan Harvey. Coming out has been featured in comedy films as well, such as the French comedy Le Placard (The Closet), where a heterosexual man is falsely outed, or in the 1997 comedy In & Out where Kevin Kline stars as a small-town teacher who gets outed on national television, and is then forced to come to terms with his own unrecognized homosexuality. For the 2007 Chinese film of the same title see The Closet. The Closet (released in French-speaking countries as Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar In & Out is a 1997 Romantic comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24 1947 is an American Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and two time Tony Award -winning stage and film
An episode of a popular Quebec television series L'Amour avec un Grand A called Lise, Pierre et Marcel focuses on the life of a homosexual man who is married and confesses to his wife and kids that he is attracted to another man. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk L'Amour avec un Grand A ( Love With a Capital "L") is a French-Canadian Television series which aired from 1988 to 1995 Lise Pierre et Marcel is a French-Canadian television mini-series which aired in 1987. In the Emmy Award-nominated episode "Gay Witch Hunt" of The Office, Michael inadvertently outs Oscar to the whole office. "Gay Witch Hunt" is the first episode and Season premiere of the third season of the American Comedy television series The
Queer media
In 1999, Russell T Davies's Queer as Folk, a popular TV series shown on Channel 4 (UK) debuted and focused primarily on the lives of young gay men; in particular on a 15-year-old going through the processes of revealing his sexuality to those around him. Russell T Davies, OBE (born Stephen Russell Davies, 27 April, 1963) is a critically acclaimed British Television producer Queer as Folk is a 1999 British Television series that chronicles the lives of three Gay men let loose in Manchester 's Gay village This storyline was also featured prominently in the U. S. version of Queer As Folk, which debuted in 2000.
The television show The L Word, which debuted in 2004, focuses on the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women, and the theme of coming out has been prominently featured in the storylines of multiple characters. The L Word is a Television Drama series on Showtime that portrays the lives of a group of Lesbian, Bisexual and
Other uses
Apart from sexual identity, it is becoming increasingly common to hear "coming out" used by analogy for disclosures of other private sphere characteristics, behavior or hobby, e. The private sphere is the complement or opposite to the Public sphere. g. "coming out as an alcoholic", "coming out as a liberal", "coming out as a gang member",[6], "coming out as multiple" [7] or even "coming out of the broom closet" (as a witch) [8] This is associated with a more general tendency towards equalizing sexual identity and other forms of identity. Dissociative Identity Disorder ( DID) as defined by the American Psychiatric Association 's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers
"Coming out" was once used to refer to debutantes. A debutante ( deb or presentation ball (from the French débutante, "female beginner" is a young lady from an aristocratic or
See also
- Debutante
- LGBT community
- List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people
- Category:LGBT youth groups
- Homophobia
- National Coming Out Day
- Gay rights
- List of transgender-related topics
- Down-low
References
- ^ Bloch, Ivan. A debutante ( deb or presentation ball (from the French débutante, "female beginner" is a young lady from an aristocratic or Gay community or LGBT community is a term used to describe the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender subculture Parent article List of gay lesbian or bisexual people Siblings This is a referenced overview list of notable Gay, Lesbian or bisexual BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps National Coming Out Day is an internationally-observed civil awareness day for Coming out and discussion about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender social movements share related goals of social acceptance of Homosexuality, Bisexuality and Transgenderism Lesbian Transgender is a complex topic where consensual and precise definitions have not yet been reached Das Sexualleben unserer Zeit in seinen Beziehungen zur modernen Kultur, 1906. English translation: The Sexual Life of Our Time in Its Relations to Modern Civilization, 1910.
- ^ Johansson&Percy, p. 24
- ^ Donald Webster Cory on glbtq.com
- ^ Sagarin bio
- ^ Coming Out: A Journey
- ^ http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040203-103504-2926r.htm
- ^ COMPD - Introduction
- ^ Coming Out of the Broom Closet
Further reading
- Dossie Easton, Catherine A. Liszt, When Someone You Love Is Kinky, Greenery Press, 2000. glbtqcom is an Online Encyclopedia that presents detailed biographies of notable Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Dossie Easton (b February 26, 1944, Andover Massachusetts) is an author and Family therapist based in Janet W Hardy is a writer and sex educator and founder of Greenery Press. Greenery Press is a Publishing house based in Emeryville California specializing in books on BDSM, polyamory and sexuality with over 50 titles in ISBN 1-890159-23-9.
- Fuss, Diana, ed. (1991). Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories. New York: Routledge.
- Butler, Judith (1991). "Imitation and Gender Insubordination".
- Thomas, Calvin, ed. (2000). Straight with a Twist: Queer Theory and the Subject of Heterosexuality. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06813-0.
- Smith, Lauren (2000). "Queer Theory in the Composition Classroom".
External links
Coming out
- Human Rights Campaign National Coming Out Project
- National Coming Out Day
- P.F.L.A.G. (Parents and Familes of Lesbians and Gays)
- Empty Closets - Coming Out Resources and a Safe Place to Chat
- Plexed - Gay youth community provides help and support
- Coming Out 101 - Come Out or Stay In - Join Us as We Celebrate Your Right to Choose without Judgment
Outing
glbtqcom is an Online Encyclopedia that presents detailed biographies of notable Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, TransgenderDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic