Michael Signorile: “Its an Embarrassment Now to Be in the Closet”…
During a segment called “Coming Out Quietly,” CNN host Howard Kurtz spoke with Michael Signorile and other guests about what impact will Anderson Cooper’s coming-out have.
Kurtz asks Signorile why some closeted public figures still refuse to come out. “For years they’ve been told by the powers that be … that it’s going to harm you’re career, that it’s going to hurt you,” Signorile replies. “I think that’s changed. Certainly with many of the actors who’ve come out, the performers, Ellen DeGeneres, and others … Suddenly a lot of these people started looking at it and saying, ‘Not only would it be OK, but in fact it’s an embarrassment to be in the closet.’”
His point is right on the mark. 20 years ago or even 10 years ago, when the gay culture and gay rights movement was not in the forefront of society as it is today and not to mention that everybody now knows or works or has a neighbor or gay family member in their life, people are much more aware of who might be gay or suspect and quite frankly not CARE. More importantly than being “embarrassing” to not come out, it is demeaning not only to ones self but to our culture. That being said, i still believe that it is a personal choice and must be respected. The old saying ‘walk a mile in some ones shoes’ rings true.
Their is power in numbers and the more visibility we have, the greater our strides in wining equality are.
via WATCH Its an Embarrassment Now to Be in the Closet | Advocate.com.