NYU professor discourages conformity

A New York University law school professor and author spoke to a crowd of students, staff and community members last week about how society forces members of the GLBTQ community and all minority groups to "cover" distinguishing personal qualities that set them apart.

Kenji Yoshino, who wrote "Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights" and is involved in a variety of social issues, said assimilation into society for someone who is different from the mainstream wasn't easy and often required those who were different to hide that which distinguishes them.

President Franklin Roosevelt frequently sat behind a table and attempted to hide his physical disability, even though everyone knew he was confined to a wheelchair, Yoshino said. Instead of publicly acknowledging his disability, Roosevelt chose to cover it and brought more conventional presidential qualities to the forefront.

Yoshino described the three phases members of minority groups must traverse conversion, which involves attempts at assimilation; passing, which entails stifling one's true identity; and covering, which involves acknowledging one's differences but minimizing them to achieve a level of conformity.

Yoshino addressed the recent dialogue that has taken place on campus regarding the struggles GLBTQ students face. He said that the greatest fear closeted students faced was the fear of the unknown, and each student must make a decision that was distinct to him or her.

"You don't know what's on the other side of the closet door," he said. "Anyone that says it will be a smooth ride is not being fully responsive to the myriad of reactions people can have to the coming-out process."

Yoshino described his own experiences and the path he took toward becoming comfortable with his homosexuality. In retrospect, Yoshino said he was ashamed of the man who once prayed that he could become heterosexual during his time at Oxford University.

"I willed the annihilation of the person I was," he said.

After coming out, Yoshino felt much more powerful and authentic, he said. But Yoshino acknowledged that his experience was particular to him and may not apply to others.

After he came out, a colleague told Yoshino that he would be more successful as a "homosexual professional" than as a "professional homosexual," meaning that he felt Yoshino should downplay his homosexuality and not openly advocate for the gay community. His colleague encouraged Yoshino to cover, not convert or pass.

But Yoshino said being homosexual was a part of his identity and that he would rather be rejected for who he was than accepted for who he wasn't.

Society is constantly evolving, as exemplified by the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" mindset of the '90s, which reflected a "passing" mentality and the recent debate over gay marriage, which reflects a "covering" mentality, Yoshino said. Some opponents of gay marriage say they accept homosexual people, but prefer they not publicly display who they are, he said.

The recent trend toward covering is hoisted upon all minority groups, Yoshino said. He said he hoped that society would eventually not impart people to cover their identities.

The program was part of the "One Book, One Campus: Dialogues in Social Justice" series, sponsored by the Office of the Chaplaincy.

Contact reporter Jimmy Young at jimmy.young@richmond.edu