No, Coming Out As Conservative Isn’t Harder Than Coming Out As Gay
This popular narrative among gay Republicans and conservatives misses the mark, and may backfire politically
When I was 20, I was inadvertently outed as gay by a family member at dinner. It was painfully awkward; humiliating. But I have an accepting mother and sibling, I’m one of the lucky ones. Millions of gay Americans have it much worse, facing rejection, abuse, financial despair, or disownment if they come out — or get outed — to their family.
Yet among gay Republicans and conservative commentators, it’s popular to argue that, in 2020, it’s harder to come out as openly conservative than as openly gay. While this might be some people’s experience, it’s wildly inaccurate when applied as a sweeping generalization. Unfortunately, that is often how it’s applied in right-of-center LGBT discourse.
In a viral piece titled “The Stigma Against My Conservative Politics Is Worse Than The Stigma of Being Gay,” writer Chad Felix Greene, a friend whose work I generally appreciate, advanced this narrative. He tells his story, which is quite compelling, and I certainly don’t dispute Felix Greene’s account of having it harder as a conservative commentator than a gay man. The mistake he and many of his readers make is…
