The Feminist Closet
Come Out, Come Out?
I was aware that it was National Coming Out Day. But at the time, the idea of coming out felt unattainable. Sure, I was excited to read about other people’s coming out experiences, but I couldn’t envision myself as one of them. I kept telling myself that they had some mixture of courage and confidence that I lacked. How could I possibly be part of their community if I couldn’t take the risk they took and live honestly? Was I really queer if practically no one knew?
Silent Closets
But, if we frame rape as solely something that men do to women, we leave many people out of the conversation, including those from marginalized groups. Many studies on rape are centered around women as survivors but rarely specify the sexual orientation or gender identity of these women. Lack of specificity leads to erasure of LGBTQ identities, as being heterosexual and cisgender is typically the default assumption. Additionally, these studies frequently ignore victims who are trans, genderqueer, and gender nonconforming, as well as queer men.
Too Queer?
I’ve been told this on multiple occasions, usually by people who haven’t known me for a very long time. At first glance, most people do assume that I’m straight—I have long hair, a higher-pitched voice, and I almost exclusively wear dresses in pastel. If you actually hear me talk candidly about girls, it becomes very clear that I’m far from straight. But, just from appearances, I don’t fit the stereotypical idea that many people have of what queer people look like.
Minority Report
Well, yes and no. Numerically, they are a minority. After all, there aren’t many of them. But they aren’t a minority in the same way that we think of people of color or LGBTQ+ people as minorities.
