But as I became comfortable in my own skin, I had to face another closet door. This was the door that our society closes on us to assure that we stay locked up in our own closets with our mothballed winter coats. This door is homophobia and heterosexism. These would be doors that I would have to continuously reopen to simply have peace of mind as well as be able to live my life. Many would argue that the door to our own closets should stay closed, that our private lives are just that-private.
Heterosexuals never have a closet, let alone have one to come out of.
But for me, I needed to open my closet so that I could be recognized for who I am. From my family's negative views regarding homosexuality, to growing up in a strict Catholic, Latino home, I have been battling this door for a long, long time. Yet, what gets me is that here in the year 2000, we still have to continuously battle this door. However, the continued belief that LGBT people choose to identify as such is what fuels our society's homophobic attacks. I don't think so.