A Closet By Another Name

My response (a couple of weeks later) to Anderson Cooper's acknowledging what we all knew . . . No pics this time.

Mr. Daniel Mendelsohn’s article "A Closet by Another Name" about Anderson Cooper's "coming out" mirrors the obstacles GLBT people face when we are public about our identity. The story hiding in the glass closet is the level of oppression GLBT people face in the society at large. Mr. Cooper, intentionally or not, explicitly discussed the impact of gay oppression on his and all of our lives. We are brutally regarded in this society.

 Mr. Cooper wrote that he tries to tell other peoples’ stories and not his own for everyone’s safety. The viciousness of gay oppression is such that people, no matter the social circles one associates with, are subject to physical danger and can be killed. While Mr. Cooper runs in elite circles that love and cherish him, this does not protect him from the possibility of losing his life in other situations. Those who wish us harm do not consider our pedigree, education, race, gender, wealth, or professional accomplishments. They will harm us solely because we are GLBT identified.

Mr. Cooper also worried that people would attribute bias to his reporting if the audience knew he was gay. Once a gay person reveals their identity, the society-at-large regards them as “the gay carpenter,” “the gay doctor,” or, “the gay journalist.” Doctors diagnose and treat sick people regardless of their emotional and intimate connections. Carpenters build and repair woodwork regardless of who they go home to. For years journalism explicitly avoided hiring women and people of color because the profession assumed that they could not be “objective.” These concerns linger for many members of the profession, including those who openly identify as gay. In an environment where objectivity is constantly challenged, identity complicates how reporters are perceived.

 Finally, Mr. Cooper argued that he was concerned about his privacy. I suspect he is concerned that the sordid details about his intimate life would be available for public consumption. None of us are immune from the splashy headlines on tabloid magazines and websites about people’s intimate lives, and Mr. Cooper has been no exception. Once one publicly identifies as gay, the public becomes alternately fascinated and disgusted with our sex lives, a distraction from his journalistic work.

 Ultimately, Mr. Cooper’s letter should not be reduced to a discussion of his privacy, although that is one component he clearly had to weigh in coming out publically. The larger issue is the systematic oppression and mistreatment of people who identify as GLBT. We’d be wise to ignore his sex life and take heed of the dangers GLBT people face and take a stand against that.