esrosedotblog

THE POWER OF COMING OUT

We are told that the best and most effective gay liberation move is to come out personally to as many people as possible.

When we do this, people have to face their prejudices, if any, and through contact with us most people become enlightened and somewhat freed of their homophobia.

It seems simple. And yet, a lot of gay people do not come out to the people they think might disrespect or dislike them. Just the people who probably need to know a gay person!

The multiplier of this effect can be considerable.

In this vignette, a true coming out story, about a hundred people were affected by one man's willingness to be honest with another man about himself.

An interesting aside is that Sims is the bench press record holder in Pennsylvania. Not that being butch has anything to do with it but, still. The hundred people are guys and jocks and football players. A population that suffers its own stereotype.

You will notice, above, that I used the term "gay liberation". I have not done that for years. I was going to change it and then though "no, it is still a matter of liberating oneself. No one else is going to do it. But if they help us then we all are liberated.

I think that I will make it a new "label" for the blog.

Labels: gay history, gay liberation, gay rights