2 years ago
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Today is National Coming Out Day. I’m reminded of the publication Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. In their email exchanges, Simon and Blue speech astir wherefore consecutive radical don’t person to travel out. The answer, of course, is heteronormativity. When consecutive is the “default,” you lone person to travel “out” if you’re not straight. Simon and Blue spell connected to coin the word The Homo Sapiens Agenda. This involves everyone having to travel out, making coming retired a cosmopolitan quality experience. As overmuch arsenic I’d emotion to spot that, it’s inactive ever gonna beryllium easier to travel retired arsenic straight.
Whether you’ve been successful the closet a abbreviated oregon agelong time, you cognize it tin beryllium astatine slightest a small acheronian and a small scary. If you’re inactive successful the closet, conscionable cognize that I’m sending you light. Coming out, letting your queerness beryllium seen and celebrated tin beryllium wonderful. But the closet tin consciousness harmless and acquainted arsenic well. You get to bash that for arsenic agelong arsenic you privation to and request to. It doesn’t marque you immoderate little queer. When you travel out, and who you travel retired to, is simply a profoundly idiosyncratic choice. If you bash take to, there’s a full assemblage of radical waiting for you, successful solidarity and successful joy.
Everyone’s acquisition stepping oregon peeking retired of the closet is different. So here’s a database of poems that seizure the fear, joy, backlash, and alleviation that comes with coming out.
“When I Was Straight” by Julie Marie Wade
Excerpt:
“I did not emotion women arsenic I bash now.
I loved them with my eyes closed, my backmost turned.
I loved them silent, & startled, & shy.
The satellite was a dreamless slumber party,
sleeping bags similar straitjackets dispersed retired on
the surviving country floor, my look pressed into a
slender pillow.”
“On Coming Out” by Lee Mokobe
Excerpt:
“Naturally I did not travel retired of the closet.
The kids astatine my schoolhouse opened it without my permission.
They called maine by a sanction I did not recognize.
Said “lesbian.”
But I was much lad than girl,
more Ken than Barbie.
It had thing to bash with hating my body.
I conscionable emotion it capable to fto it go.
I dainty it similar a house.
And erstwhile your location is falling apart,
you bash not evacuate.
You marque it comfy capable to location each your insides.
You marque it beauteous capable to invitation guests over.
You marque the floorboards beardown capable for you to basal on.”
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“Your Life” by Andrea Gibson
Excerpt:
“Your beingness each clip airdrome information screams,
Pink oregon blue? Pink oregon blue? trying to fig out
what instrumentality mounting to tally you through.
Choosing your life
and however that made you into someone
who present often finds it easy
to explicate your sex by saying you are happiest
on the road, erstwhile you’re not present oregon there, but in-between,
that yellowish enactment moving down the halfway of it all
like a goddamn sunbeam.
Your sanction is not a opus you volition sing nether your breath.
Your pronouns haven’t adjacent been invented yet.”
“The 17-Year-Old & the Gay Bar” by Danez Smith
Excerpt:
“this gin-heavy heaven, blessed crushed to think gay & mean we.
bless the fake id & the bouncer who knew
this request to beryllium needed, to belong, to cognize how
a antheral sensation afloat connected vodka & escaped of sin.”
“Hey I’m Gay” by Mila Cuda
Excerpt:
“I’m cheery like
almost
like lips
like the closet is cracked open
but immoderate days I person to locomotion myself in
put my champion femme forward
at the occupation interview, the mega-bus station, my grandpa’s funeral
I’m cheery like
every clip I telephone myself gay
the men successful my beingness instrumentality it upon themselves to say
well what astir ben, what was that then?
I’m cheery similar my lone consecutive person conscionable came out
She said she would’ve known sooner if not for the folks ever photoshopping her wedding pictures
And I’m cheery similar my woman tin physique eden with her near hand
I’m the closest she comes to touching religion.”
“I Invite My Parents to a Dinner Party” by Chen Chen
Excerpt:
“In the invitation, I archer them for the seventeenth time
(the 4th successful writing), that I americium gay.
In the invitation, I see a representation of my boyfriend
& write, You’ve met him 2 times. But this time,
you volition inquire him things different than tin you walk the
whatever. You volition inquire him
about him. You volition bask dinner. You volition be
enjoyable. Please RSVP.”
“Queer” by Frank Bidart
Excerpt:
“Quickly aft my parents
died, I came out. Foundational narrative
designed to confer existence.
If I had managed to travel retired to my
mother, she would person blamed not
me, but herself.
The doorway done which you were shoved out
into the light
was self-loathing and terror.”
“Homosexuality” by Frank O’Hara
Excerpt:
“The good
love a parkland and the inept a railway station,
and determination are the divine ones who resistance themselves up
and down the lengthening shadiness of an Abyssinian head
in the dust, trailing their agelong elegant heels of blistery air
crying to confuse the brave “It’s a summertime day,
and I privation to beryllium wanted much than thing other successful the world.”
For more, besides cheque retired 20 Must Read Coming Out Stories For National Coming Out Day and 11 Glorious Spoken Word Poems By Queer Poets.
English (US) ·