This Phrase Is Far Too Important To Be A Politicians Punchline

A Texas politician, who cares about marginalized communities as much as you and I care about eating car parts, made news for his wannabe-amusing quip and that just does not sit well with me. 

The phase is "coming out (of the closet)" and it's vile when you use it as a joke.

Let's back up. One politician switched parties and the politician in question said, "Glad you came out of the closet".  Sorry dawg. That's not your phrase to co-op.

The phrase "coming out of the closet" has been a fixture in the LGB+T community since the 1950s. It, itself, is a variation of "having skeletons in the closet". You might be thinking that no one group should own a phrase, but they kind of already do. If I just said someone was "out" or "outed" most people would know that I'm using the shorthand of the saying, and thus ownership is already implied by use.

It's a little worse than that. When the politician used this phrase it was used as a joke and coming out is no joke. Coming out has led to alienation, despair, and suicide. It would be great if the phrase always went that that person is beginning their journey as a member of the community but reactions of some family and friends have been incredibly mixed.

It's very hard for me to understand why this type of ignorance and to a degree bullying is still allowed in 2021. For it to be a headline at a national level is just plain embarrassing.