Coming out meaning: origin and differences with the term "outing"
Fortunately, the taboo on homosexuality and all things related to the LGBTQ + community is collapsing. More and more people feel they are openly disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity, because society is making major changes towards progress and openness. . Still, there is still confusion when it comes to a community that has been repressed and hidden for so long, so it's time to clarify.
Before starting, however, remember that love is love: look at the sweet reaction of this child when his brother reveals his homosexuality to him.
Coming out: origin and meaning
"Coming out" is an Anglicism which translates as "coming out, coming out into the open". The full expression is coming out of the closet, "to come out of the" closet / closet / hiding place "and therefore," to come out into the open. "However, the Italian translation did not get the better of the commonly used English original, unlike the Spanish and French forms - respectively go up to the armoire And sortir du placard. What is common, however, is the concept expressed: declaring one's gender identity or one's sexual orientation, going out into the open by sharing such a personal sphere of one's intimacy.
A curiosity is the "origin of the" expression coming out: it initially had a veiled ironic content since it was used to indicate the debut in society of a young teenager in past centuries, generally at the typical debutante ball.
See also
Confusion between coming out And outing: they are not synonyms
The terms coming out And outing they are often used by the media and politics as synonyms, even if the meaning is profoundly different. The semantic field is the same and the sphere of thematic interest also: both concern the plurality of genders and the declaration of one's homosexuality.
Nevertheless, coming out And outing they are not synonyms. The differences between these two concepts need clarification, to avoid confusion and use the most appropriate terms for each situation, both in the media language, which through technological devices penetrates into the reality of all of us, as well as in everyday life, in which every word has a precise meaning and must be used with caution and attention.
To do coming out, therefore, it is different than undergoing outing, and it is important to understand the difference between these two concepts in order to clarify the current language.
As it was said, coming out is short for coming out of the closet and metaphorically indicates the moment when a non-heterosexual person feels ready to declare that they are gay or in general their sexual preferences to family, friends, colleagues and anyone else they want. This person, therefore, can freely choose who to do with coming out: he may feel ready to tell his friends but not the people he works with, for example. The Italian equivalent is "to declare with / a".
To do outinginstead, it consists in the revelation of a person's non-heterosexuality by someone else, for reasons of a different order. It is therefore clear the enormous difference between the two concepts which are mistakenly used as synonyms.
What does it mean to come out?
The "idea of" coming out into the open "and declaring one's homosexuality, bisexuality or any other orientation that does not fall within" heterosexuality "to family, friends or colleagues is attributed to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a German writer, poet and jurist who passed away in recent 800 years, considered one of the pioneers of the homosexual liberation movement.
Today, do coming out it is a practice if not common, at least recognized as society is moving towards greater openness, also from the point of view of civil rights. The declaration previously prepared by homosexual people (or, in general, non-heterosexuals) is being progressively replaced by behaviors, which suggest their sexual orientation through more or less explicit signals, without setting themselves the program of talking about it, exposing themselves and explaining.
More and more show business characters are not afraid to reveal their homosexuality or sexual orientation: from Elton John in the late seventies, who reveals his bisexuality after a wedding, to George Michael, to Ricky Martin . These are just some of the examples of gay (or non-straight) men using their fan platform to raise awareness and dispel the lgbt taboo.
Outing: origin and meaning
When we talk about outing, on the other hand, it is quite another thing. As mentioned, this is a public statement from someone revealing someone else's homosexuality, even without the knowledge of the person concerned. This practice was applied for the first time by an American journalist, Michelangelo Signorile, who in the early nineties used it as an instrument of political struggle against those characters who persecuted homosexuality and homosexuals, practically themselves "homosexual behavior".
Not otherwise, even today do outing it means the public denunciation of the hypocrisy of those who in front of everyone's eyes, including cameras, declare themselves heterosexual while privately living a condition of repressed and frustrated homosexuality.
