Progression II Essay

Joshua Steele
November 2, 2012
English 115
Professor Macklin

Coming Out of the Closet

    The video begins with a teenage boy at a restaurant, eating and saying, “I gotta tell you something.” He then tells his fathers that he is straight, and they nod in approval. An announcer then tells the audience, “Children raised by homosexuals do not necessarily become homosexuals” (The Gayest Commercials). In this video, the message is clearly presented to the audience, especially with the announcer’s message at the end. The message is that being raised by gay or lesbian parents is perfectly normal and that it is perfectly normal for the children of gay or lesbian parents to identify as straight.
    This advertisement relies on the use of pathos when the teenage boy anxiously tells his fathers that he is straight, since plenty of people find it difficult to come out of the closet, and because most people are unable to conceptualize the idea of a person coming out as straight, as opposed to gay. This video can also be considered an oxymoron, since it is uncommon for a person to come out of the closet as being straight. The use of pathos is also used by the creators of the video, since they portray the fathers and son in a positive light. In this video, the use of logos is present when the announcer tells the audience, “Children raised by homosexuals do not necessarily become homosexuals” (The Gayest Commercials). This video is targeted at an audience that is uninformed about children raised by gay and lesbian parents. It is also possible that the audience would adhere to the false stereotype that all of the children of gay and lesbian parents are gay or lesbian themselves.  Some studies claim that the children of gay parents are more likely to be gay, but that philosophy is rejected by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community (Queerty).  In order to understand this video, it is important for the reader to know about the importance of the coming out process.
    Coming out is defined as the process by which a person acknowledges and tells others that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (The Stages of Coming Out). The first stage is self-recognition, which is when a person realizes that they are LGBT. The second stage is disclosure to others, which is often simply known as coming out. Some people might come out of the closet at a slow and quiet pace, while others will do it quickly and publicly. Coming out quickly and publicly is often seen when a prominent person comes out of the closet. The following stage is socialization with other LGBT individuals, followed by positive self-identification and integration and acceptance (The Stages of Coming Out). However, these stages will not occur if a person will not come out of the closet or refuses to accept the fact that they are gay. People who are supposedly LGBT but refuse to come out are viewed as ‘self hating’ or ‘repressed’ by the LGBT community and by society at large. Some prominent examples of supposedly gay people are Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Rick Santorum, and Marcus Bachmann (The Huffington Post, Slate, LA Weekly). On a side note, studies have shown that the most homophobic people are more likely to be gay than people who are not homophobic (LA Weekly). Also, the coming out process can be unsuccessful if a person is coming out to people who are homophobic.
    Although many people are able to come out of the closet knowing that their family and friends will still love them, plenty of other people are not so lucky. Teenagers with homophobic parents are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, more likely to engage in unsafe sexual practices, and more likely to commit suicide than teenagers with accepting and open-minded parents (CDC). A sizeable number of homophobic parents believe that sexual orientation is a choice or that it can be changed through “conversion therapy,” a barbaric and inhumane practice that forces participants to undergo electrocution, verbal abuse, and burning and freezing tactics, and prayer to become straight, among other tactics (Daily Mail). Due to these and other tactics, every mainstream medical and mental health association views conversion therapy as dangerous and ineffective, since a person’s sexual orientation cannot be changed (HRC). In California, it is illegal to provide “conversion therapy” to minors. California law also requires adults seeking “conversion therapy” to sign a waiver stating that they are aware of the risks stemming from the procedures they will be subjected to (ABC News). On a positive note, there are many prominent people who are openly LGBT that deserve to be recognized.
    There are many prominent people in the United States and the world who are openly gay and deserve to be recognized for coming out and remaining successful in their careers. In 1976, pop superstar Elton John came out as bisexual, but admitted that he was gay twelve years later (Rolling Stone). Another prominent gay celebrity is talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who came out while appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show (CNN). Another prominent gay person is U.S. Representative Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts who was first elected to the House in 1980. Barney Frank came out as gay in 1987 and is the longest-serving openly gay member of Congress. In a ceremony earlier this year in Newton, Massachusetts, Barney Frank married Jim Ready, who he had been dating for seven years (New York Times).
    In conclusion, the video that I discussed shows the teenage son of two fathers coming out as straight, which is quite rare, since people are often presumed to be straight. Coming out is the process by which a person acknowledges and reveals the fact that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Some people will receive a positive response when coming out, while others will face a very negative response. Last but not least, this video effectively uses logos and pathos to send a message to an audience that might believe that all of the children of gay or lesbian parents are gay or lesbian themselves, which is false.

Works Cited

1. “Barney Frank Weds Jim Ready.” The New York Times, July 7, 2012. Web. November 2, 2012.
2. “California Bans Gay Conversion Therapy for Minors.” ABC News, October 1, 2012. Web. November 2, 2012.
3. “Cover Story: It’s Lonely at the Top.” Rolling Stone, October 7, 1976. Web. November 2, 2012.
4. “Ellen DeGeneres tells Time she’s a lesbian.” CNN, April 6, 1997. Web. November 2, 2012.
5. “Gay and Bisexual Men’s Health: Stigma and Discrimination.” CDC, March 3, 2011. Web. November 2, 2012.
6. “Gay Parents ‘Far More Likely’ to Have Gay Kids, Says Questionable Science.” Queerty, October 18, 2010. Web. November 1, 2012.
7. “Gay Rumors In Hollywood: 16 Celebrities Who Have Faced Reports About Their Sexuality.” The Huffington Post, December 2, 2011. Web. November 2, 2012.
8. “Is Rick Santorum Gay? New Study Says Homophobes May Dig the Same Sex.” LA Weekly, April 9, 2012. Web. November 2, 2012.
9. “Read My Lisp: Is Michele Bachmann’s husband gay? Don’t trust gaydar to settle the question.” Slate, July 15, 2011. Web. November 2, 2012.
10. “The Gayest Commercials.” Out. Here Media Inc., March 20, 2012. Web. November 1, 2012.
11. “The Lies and Dangers of Reparative Therapy.” Human Rights Campaign. Web. November 2, 2012.
12. “Victim of Baptist gay conversion therapy describes how he was tortured at 12.” Daily Mail, October 7, 2011. Web. November 2, 2012.