Ah, yes!  The joys of living in a closet . . . been there, done that . . . and, bet your bottom dollar it isn’t only the homosexuals in the closets! 

          When I was a child, it was the boogeyman in my closet that was in cahoots with the monster under my bed.  I never opened my closet door in the dark . . . but there was that one unforgettable night when I must have slept crossways in my bed and when I had to get up in a hurry to go to the bathroom, I ran to what was the hall door – I thought – and it was the closet.  Needless to say, I knocked myself out and had to change my jammie’s.  Little children’s closets turn into abodes of monsters as we “mature”. 

            Yes, behind closet doors, humans can hide with their life secrets; secrets they want to keep hidden from relatives, friends, employers and fellow co-workers, religious affiliations, husbands, wives, lovers and one’s children.  For whatever the reason, the person in a closet thinks it is a place of safety and security . . . but is it really? 

People in closets are easy prey for blackmailers.  Take it from me, I know.  I’ve been there and had to pay through the nose.  It’s like the military today with a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that wants to keep terrorism at bay, yet for those in the military who don’t tell, they are likely suspects for being blackmailed.  And, IF you are blackmailed, who are you going to tell?  Correct.  Nobody.  You closet yourself to insure no one will learn about the other closet that you are being blackmailed for! 

            Some folks are lucky enough to find a light - - - a beacon giving them hope - - - because, as the seventeen year old author of the poem, “My Closet Has A Light” stated: he saw others who had the courage to exit their closets and were providing a support structure, waiting for him to make his exit  . . . and he had seen a light, and hope, as he considered his future.   Others become lights.  Others become hope for the closeted.

            So - - - what’s in YOUR closet?! 

            The better question might be WHO is really in your closet?  Who is the you, the you that you maybe don’t want the rest of the world to really know?  Maybe someone, like my Dad, who couldn’t read and was illiterate and didn’t want the world to know?  Maybe a husband or wife who has a secret “snatch” on the side?  Maybe a secret addict of alcohol or prescription drugs?  Maybe a person with PSAS (Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome) and thinks they are going crazy but don’t know who to talk to about it?  Maybe a kleptomaniac like Hedy Lamarr was?  Maybe a man or woman carrying the AIDS virus or a sexually transmittable disease?  Maybe a peeping Tom?  Maybe an abuser of their spouse or child?   Maybe someone trapped in a physical body of the incorrect sex?

            A lot of closets are filled with parents.  Yes, parents who are ashamed of their own children whom they think are “freaks”.  Of course they don’t want the relatives and friends back home to learn their kids have turned out this way!  It is also an interesting fact that when many a child comes out of their gay closet, their parents go into their own closet; ashamed – maybe feeling guilty – and afraid of what the neighbors or their Church might think. 

            Oh, there really are so many closets - - - and, of course, the normally thought-of- today-closet with GLBT’s - -  gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. 

            What we normally don’t stop to think about when we are in closets is that closet lights are glimmering out there.  There are rays of hope . . . support is available and waiting . . . should anyone dare to exit their closet. 

No matter how frightening it might be to step from one’s closet into the glaring sunlight of public disclosure, it is worth the step.  Closet living is like living under the repression of a dictator; just ask anyone who has lived in such a situation if the cost of their freedom was worth the price!  Freedom to be who we really are is priceless. 

            Now, living a closet life, it must be noted, is also quite different from having a secret and keeping it to ones self and maybe a close friend.  Closet living is an alter-life kept hidden from everyone.  Having a secret, is not a life; it is a don’t tell Mama, it is a friend telling another friend to not tell anyone else that he/she is in love with Johnny.  Secrets are not meant to cause harm to others or to the secret teller and keeper, because sooner or later we know it will all come out that Mama will know and so will Johnny - - and, aha!  The secret’s out! 

Being in a closet life, hiding the true self can and many times does last a lifetime.  It can only bring harm to the closeted one and the loves in their circle of life.  Being in a closet life also is revelatory of the fact that one has not truly come to love one’s own self, and this, in turn, makes it impossible to truly love others.  Yes, there’s a difference from being in a closet and having a secret. 

            Living in any closet warps our image.  Maybe it’s the lack of light, but whatever it is, a human becomes a contortion of who they really are.  To view the monster hiding in the closet, we wouldn’t recognize the beautiful and handsome person we were born to be.

            Consider WHY people are in closets.  Maybe it is because “Truth” is the surgeon that has the capability of revelation.  The revelation of who we really are - - - for instance, no one wants to be known as a “chicken” or a “scaredy cat” and being afraid to face the world in truth is a fearful thing.  Being ashamed of who we really are might keep us in a closet also because who wants to be “shamed” by others?  Being uneducated and/or ignorant would also keep one in a closet, just as the greed of wanting to be liked by others.

            Having worked in the field of Social Work, I am well aware of the value of communication; communication with regard to the healing process and the growth aspects of one’s life. 

            It is my hope; folks wearing the T-shirts will allow them to be used as a stimulus, opening the door of communication with those who might question: What does the shirt mean? 

            Someone may ask Are you gay? and, if you are, it is an opportunity to communicate and educate.  If you aren’t, you can say you hope it will help folks who are in their closets to step out and no longer live a life of lies. 

            Use the occasion to begin to have an intelligent intercourse.  Create a Circle of Light group. 

            You could also talk about the lights of support available for folks hiding in their closets.  They might even know of other support structures.  You may even find you are participating in a “community” effort . . . and it all began from a stranger or acquaintance questioning you about your T-shirt. 

And now, you also know I am an incurable optimist and some might even say naïve - - - but!  I honestly believe that most of us human animals want to help one another in this crazy rat race we are in on planet Earth! 

            It is my hope, as well as the wonderful folks who have participated with me in this Project, that you will like the design look of the T-shirts and wear them proudly. 

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