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I'm afraid my writing will "out" me.

Discussion in 'Coming Out Advice' started by scooby, Jan 21, 2012.

  1. scooby

    Regular Member

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    I'm a writer. Have been since my lil hands could hold a pencil. (Please don't take my forum comments as proof, as I tend not to edit myself much here.)

    I have this big story I've been working on for months. I've got artwork for it and I'm hoping to make it into a "motion comic". I'm really proud of the effort I've put into it and I can't wait to let my followers on YouTube see it. I've been bragging about it and promising to upload it for a long while now.

    The problem... I was discussing the plot with some friends and I realized that a rather large portion of the story involves a lesbian love triangle. And when I say "large portion", that means "a portion so large that if I took it out of the story the whole thing would fall apart". I know it sounds weird, but I honestly didn't see it as "lesbian" at the time - it was just that these three characters were obviously falling for each other and the story naturally progressed from there.

    And now I look back on it and I think as soon as I publish this piece - at least the part where the girls start verbalizing their desires - I am going to be outed pretty publicly.

    I don't want to hide this story. I LOVE this story, I love these characters, they deserve a chance to be seen and heard.

    I don't want to out myself, either.

    er, help...?
     
  2. Ianthe

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    So, the people in your life presume that anyone who writes about queer characters must be queer?

    That isn't necessarily the case, you know. You can just maintain that them being gay doesn't mean you are. Do you openly support gay rights? You can always say that you wrote your story about lesbian relationships in order to show how they are similar to straight relationships, out of a desire to support the cause.
     
  3. BreeBree

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    Ianthe has a good point. There are several writers out there who support the gay community and write about but aren't gay. You shouldn't let this ruin your publishing, because its obvious you really want this to happen. Sure people may question you, but if you aren't comfortable with them knowing, then you can tell them you just support the gay community.
     
  4. Vesper

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    What Ianthe and BreeBree said. Don't let the fear of questions or the arousal of suspicions about your sexual orientation prevent you from exercising (and rightfully showing off) your creative abilities. Let the audience think what they want to think, and tell them that you're just a straight ally if they ask.
     
  5. Chip

    Board Member Admin Team Advisor Full Member

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    Sexual Orientation:
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    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    I'm going to go a little against the grain. If you're suddenly writing gay-themed stories, people are going to raise questions, particularly if you live in a religiously bigoted area. So people who know about that story might start scrutinizing your life a bit more than they do now. And that isn't a bad thing, unless you are totally not ready for it.

    Now... in no way do I think you should change or not publish the story. But I do think you should think about it. Perhaps, unconsciously, you've written that story because you're ready to start coming out and part of you realizes that will be a way to open that door.

    So I'd say... if you publish it, be at least open to the idea that it could start your process of coming out. If you're absolutely mortified at that possibility, finish the story and maybe shelve it for a couple months and see if maybe you're more ready to put it out there and let the chips fall where they may :slight_smile:
     
  6. Marlowe

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    I'm more with chip on this, if you are not ready to be out then it is probably best that you wait. But you still might consider trying to publish it elsewhere. I don't really know where to look, but I imagine you could do it in a student writing magazine that is away from you. I also think that you could get a new youtube account and publish it through that. if you are really just looking to share this amazing story with the world, then there are many ways to diseminate, and I for one would love to see it.