LAMBDXcover story 5
except I'm queer! I'm not even interested in what
you look like in a bathing suit! I don't
I”
care!
But it was what my best friend did
that made such a difference to me. She
told me that she wasn't going to the par
ty. She didn't want anything to do with
people who thought that about me.
I had another cry — this time it was
a good one.
I have a cousin who I came out to in
December who now won't talk to me. I
had always been able to talk to her about
anything and call her anytime — she
was my role model.
Ever since I came out to her, though,
she doesn't even acknowledge my exis
tence. She doesn't call me, she doesn't
ask about me. Still, I would never stay
in the closet for her.
Coming out is a process. We can do
it when we're ready. It's a daily activity
for me.
When I wear "queer" t-shirts and see mothers
of my violin students eyeing me suspiciously. I'm
coming out. When observers stare at me and a
table of queer people and we endure their sicken
ing looks. I'm coming out. When I object to a ho-
rights."
I learned very quickly who my friends were
and who they were not. I've always said since
then that if someone doesn't love you for who you
truly are, you're wasting your time. All LGBTIQ
people, closeted or not, need to realize this. We're
"I was finally alright with being myself. I was ready to
shout, "I'M HERE AND I'M QUEER!" all over the place."
mophobic joke and say, "I'm queer. That offends
me," I'm coming out.
Coming out is like taking a pair of boxing
gloves and joining the ring of others who are tak
ing the risks of being proud of who they are. It's
joining the fight for LGBTIQ rights.
Coming out is saying, "You will NOT scare
me into the closet again. I'm ready to fight for my
worth more than a fucking closet, blatant dis
crimination and persistent exclusion.
The closet is a dark place and I will be damned
if anyone thinks they can scare me into it again.
Mary Beth Kaneklides
(imhereandimqueer@gmail.com) is a senior
majoring in Women’s Studies.