Given the discriminatory practices in medicine, education, corporate and political spheres of society, the question of whether to remain closeted and pass in society or to come out begs exploration.
We know that there are a good number of Deaf people who reject the medical view and favour the linguistic and cultural view. Granted, there are also a number of Deaf people who continue to accept and even support the medical model of Deafness. This polar division is quite evident at www.DeafRead.com and www.DeafVideo.TV if people have viewed the types of blogs and vlogs posted there. DeafRead and DVTV are just a microcosm of what is out in the world.
We also know that there are Deaf people who debates with themselves whether it is better to “come out” like the Deaf adults who grew up oral and then reject that background and embrace ASL and the cultural view. There’s also the strong inclination in some Deaf people to “remain in the closet” and pass in mainstream society. View www.TheCochlearImplantOnline.com . Those who view deafness as a pathology encourage passing in society. This can be seen at www.DeafVillage.com, and to some degree, DeafRead.
In addition to the opposing camps in the Deaf community, we also see in both websites a group of moderate Deaf people. These moderates espouse “diversity” and criticize “Deaf extremists” for their refusal to accept communicative tools that both help Deaf children pass in society and deny the validity of ASL as a language and culture. Again, a reflection of what is happening in the world.
As for the gay community, is there the same kind of internal debate about whether to come out or remain in the closet? To this, I would have to answer yes, although I am no expert on the gay community. Nor can I claim to speak for the gay people.
I can respond to this question based on my experience with two close girlfriends more than ten years ago who informed me that they were lovers. I was the first heterosexual friend they told. I witnessed their struggle in the process of coming out, and their fear of being rejected on the basis of their orientation. To this day, these women remain my friends. You can also see the struggle between coming out and staying closeted in different situations in the various links I provided in Part II: The Impact of Medical Labels.
Another question is asked: Are there a large number of Gays that still accept the medical view?
I can only provide part of the answer, based on deductive thinking. Gay activists obviously reject the medical view as evidenced in the activism of 1973 that saw the removal of the mental disorder label. Judging from the annual Gay Pride Rainbow Parade, there are definitely a large number of Gay people that reject the medical view on an international scale.
While investigating the answer to this question, I discovered a few links that show there are those who still view homosexuality as a mental illness in need of treatment. Organizations like Exodus International, a restorative psychology group and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, which advocates for the ex-gay community, are set up for people who wish to change their sexual orientation from “exclusive homosexuality to exclusive heterosexuality.”)
The majority of the gay community does not endorse these organizations nor do they endorse the medical view of homosexuality. In fact, these organizations are considered by the gays to be operated by extreme right-wing people.
Then we have moderate gay right-wingers who call themselves Gay Republicans. They set up a website called Gay Patriots. They have a reputation for criticizing gay men that do not hide who they are, and encouraging people to not attend gay prides.
To display one’s identity in conflict with societal expectations, or to pass in society? That is the question! Clearly, there is an intense internal debate that rage in the Gay community as it does in the Deaf community on this question. Both communities do contain groups or camps that fit in a continuum from “left-wingers” to “right-wingers” with the “moderates” smack-dab in the middle.