On page 31 in this excerpt there is a discussion on the silence and silencing of gay identities and how keeping quiet about one's sexual identity does not necessarily mean that the dominant society and dominant society members are forcing the silence. I found this to be a very interesting point especially when paired with our discussion on how just coming out of the closet will not solve homophobia or heterosexism. So, my question is this: In your opinion, does keeping silent about being LGBT harm the goals of gay-liberation and equality?
I have two spools of thought about this question. On one hand I completely agree that a person's sexuality is their own business and if they want to keep it a secret they should have the autonomy to do so. There is a double standard where straight people are allowed to keep silent about their relationships and sexuality because they are considered "normal" but LGBT people are not. On the other hand I feel that that keeping your sexuality a secret is letting the dominant heterosexist culture win and continue to maintain dominance. The more pandering that is done to heterosexism, the stronger it will become.
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