To profess to be someone else is quite a difficult task. It not only compromises your originality and individuality but also your creativity and state of mind. But not everybody out there is being his/her own self and not professing to be someone else. As a matter of fact, if you are comfortable with your own skin, then public opinion becomes secondary to you and you tend to act as who you are and ready to come out of the closet.

Coming out of the closet means (in the LGBTQIA community) to come out in the open and yell (not literally) that the individual is not ready to veil himself/herself any longer and accepts his/her sexuality (which has nothing to do with the society, you or me) in front of all.

Whoa! Guess what? It needs guts. The consequences can range from complete denial and nonacceptance, disowning by family members, thrashings, mockery, isolation and stares (like you swiftly turned into an alien) to acceptance (means people mind their own business, understand that you are not a threat to their sexuality and love you as an individual). But surely, coming out is difficult for the confessing party as well as the party it is being confessed to and we get to see myriad of reactions.

Being in the closet is a choice, breaking it to reveal the real self is another. It’s all upon the individual’s will. But remember, if he/she confides in us and shows us the real self, it’s our duty to try and understand the situation. Instead of being homophobic/transphobic/genderphobic, grab him/her in your arms and give them a warm hug of acceptance (if you really love the individual).

Of course, being from the LGBTQIA (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex Asexual) community is not easy, especially when law deems you as a criminal due to your preference in bed (Section 377) and the conservative societal ideas (of course it’s changing). But, we can surely respect people’s privacy and not barge about finding a cure or try to discourage the individual. Its natural, it’s individual’s identity.

Shubhankar Mondal
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