Coming Out:
Coming Out
Coming out is a nearly universal experience for those in the LGBTQ+ community. However, this does not mean that everyone has the same experience of coming out. Mainstream sources have many stories white LGBTQ+ members, yet Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and transgender people are woefully underrepresented. These individuals have often had to face greater adversity, not just from society, but from within, as they come to understand themselves. Religion may also be a source of anguish for individuals looking to be prideful in their identity due to its message being coopted into a message of hate for gender and sexual minorities.
Even within the armed forces, discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation wasn't legalized until 2011. This discrimination came in the form of a policy known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This policy stated that service members did not have to disclose their sexuality, however, if it was found out, they were at risk of being discharged. This policy unfairly targeted LGBTQ+ service members as something as simple as their hairstyle or an argument gone wrong with another service member could lead to an investigation and their dishonorable discharge. A dishonorable discharge meant that these service members were not entitled to their veteran benefits and could face other ramifications such as loosing their ability to vote. They were also effectively blacklisted from the military, though with it being repealed, those who were not discharged and wished to go back may suffer a loss in the ranks that they worked so hard to achieve.
While the purpose of this exhibit is to highlight the coming out experiences of transgender and BIPOC individuals, it also contains coming out experiences from other individuals within the central Pennsylvania community.
Even within the armed forces, discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation wasn't legalized until 2011. This discrimination came in the form of a policy known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This policy stated that service members did not have to disclose their sexuality, however, if it was found out, they were at risk of being discharged. This policy unfairly targeted LGBTQ+ service members as something as simple as their hairstyle or an argument gone wrong with another service member could lead to an investigation and their dishonorable discharge. A dishonorable discharge meant that these service members were not entitled to their veteran benefits and could face other ramifications such as loosing their ability to vote. They were also effectively blacklisted from the military, though with it being repealed, those who were not discharged and wished to go back may suffer a loss in the ranks that they worked so hard to achieve.
While the purpose of this exhibit is to highlight the coming out experiences of transgender and BIPOC individuals, it also contains coming out experiences from other individuals within the central Pennsylvania community.
