Outing Yourself

May 1, 1995
Though some might look askance at the publication of yet another self-help book, this title makes a significant contribution to an area of human relations that is rife with misunderstanding. It is filled with testimonials from people still in the closet, from those out and proud and from those in between--all of whom speak eloquently of the rigors and joys of the ongoing process of coming out. The author--Out magazine columnist and gadfly to homophobic politicians across the country--at first might seem an unlikely source for the soothing 14-step program laid out in these pages. That program takes the reader from self-identification and self-acceptance through a set of simple, some would say simplistic, exercises, laying the foundation for the more difficult process of coming out to one's family, friends and colleagues. Perhaps the specifics of the exercises are less significant than their underlying assertion of the dignity of gays and lesbians--and of the dangerous self-loathing that, as much as American society's ignorance, keeps people in the closet. The message throughout is that homosexuality is not a disease, but homophobia is.