e l p o e p LVESTON
CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)
A G of RESHAPING A NARRATIVE : BY: JOSÉ MENDIOLA
Coming Out / Letting People In
FOR MANY YEARS NOW, WE HAVE USED THE TERM “COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET” TO DESCRIBE HOW THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY DEALS WITH THE REVEALING OF THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND/OR GENDER IDENTITY TO THOSE AROUND THEM. Although I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I do consider myself a strong ally. With that being said I am here to say, I am, obviously, not the person who gets to decide what narrative is definite or what gets to be reshaped. But recently, in a conversation, I was told that the term “coming out” was retrograde, and it conveyed a certain conspiratorial vibe to it, as if you were caught doing something illicit and now had to confess to a jury of your peers. I was told that the term “letting people in” was now more progressive as it indicates feelings of trusting and acceptance, almost as if you were letting people in this club that only the superb and select few that you loved could join. Before I continue, I should admit that I feel like I have no business writing this article. Being straight in such a progressive time is the equivalent of being that one kid on a field trip who goes to the ice cream store, and settles for a plain vanilla cone while everyone else is trying new and fun flavors. Furthermore, writing on an issue about LGBTQ+ community is like the vanilla-cone-kid didactically talking about his extremely monotonous vanilla flavor, and his support for interesting flavors such as chocolate mint or bubble-gum, while the other kids with much more interesting flavors sit in confusion, slowly blink, and try their best to listen. I digress. Back to the point of me writing this article: I guess I was just interested. C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • M AY/J U N E 2 0 2 2
As I pondered the meaning of both the regressive term that I had been using, and the progressive term I had just learned, it made me think of all the experiences that the community must go through. Letting people into your personal life to let them know about your sexual and gender identity almost felt like some sort of ritual in order to become free. An unshackling of oneself from a narrative that a close-minded society had meticulously wrought. It was then and there that I thought it’d be a good idea to ask some people of their experiences in letting people in. We did this in hopes that these responses may inspire some readers who are hesitant at a very uncertain time. So with that being said, me and my friend gathered four simple questions and interviewed some strangers at Galveston’s LGBTQ+ hotspots. Although not everyone was comfortable giving their full name and photograph, I believe we got some interesting responses. 27
