Coming Out: An Invisible Privilege In Culture

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Privilege is a concept oftentimes overlooked. There is the tendency for people to refuse the notion there are advantages for people of a certain race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality, enabling them to access of basic needs, such as food, water and shelter, but also opportunities to education, careers and class. However, despite people’s ignorance to privileges, in today’s society these advantages have become invisible. White, heterosexual, males are the norm within culture, they contain the most power and opportunity, yet society’s push that everyone is equal, recognition of these privileges are lost. However, it has been that way since the moment of birth. Those born into the norm have the potential to grow toward success. Nevertheless, their claim to privileges does …show more content…
People not a part of the norm, are forced to “come out” by announcing or acknowledging they are unfamiliar, strange and the “other” in comparison to the norm, thus stating they have less declaration to opportunities. Ultimately, this “coming out” process displays how people’s differences define their experiences through the privileges they have admission to. By “coming out” awareness is given to the different experiences people of “other” have. Their struggles are brought to light, emphasizing the people of the norm have invisible privileges, thus creating inequalities. However, after reading chapters 14 and 23 of Ferguson a common theme I notices is based on the perceptions and stereotypes correlating with the social identity of person also equates to the amount of potential opportunities they will obtain. In Ferguson chapter 14 “My Body, My Closet: Invisible Disability and the Limits of Coming-Out Discourse” displays while the analogy of “coming out” symbolizes the challenges experienced by the “other,” limitations are also a product (p. 160). The social identity of sexuality and disability