2012-10-11, 11:27 AM
Eos Wrote:I don't really agree with that. The point of coming out is doing so when it's right for you, and clearly if you're in a situation where it's going to put your life in significant and imminent danger coming out isn't right for you (yet). That doesn't mean other people shouldn't.What I mean is that the emphasis on coming out as part of the queer narrative doesn't actually match the lived experiences of many queer people. I know several Asian-Americans who have zero intention or desire to ever officially come out to their parents, for instance, because they'd rather work with their parents' turning the blind eye than start a long and fruitless confrontation. And for me, personally -- someone who does want to -- that emphasis taunts me with what I can't have.
//edit: Coming out is also not really a one-off deal? Plenty of folks have talked about having to come out repeatedly to different people, especially if they pass for straight and cisgender. And "coming out" about sexual orientation works differently from "coming out" about gender and gender history.