In response, gay life became more secretive. The 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s witnessed a growing backlash against this visible gay world. A 1931 news article in the Baltimore Afro-American referred to “the coming out of new debutantes into homosexual society.” It was titled “1931 Debutantes Bow at Local ‘Pansy’ Ball.” Gay men spoke of “coming out” into gay society – borrowing the term from debutante society, where elite young women came out into high society.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, gay subculture thrived in many large American cities. In my new book, “Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are,” I explore the history of this term, from the earliest days of the gay rights movement, to today, when it has been adopted by other movements.
You may even have heard the expression used in relation to other kinds of identity, such as being undocumented.īut do you know where the term comes from? Or that its meaning has changed over time? You probably know what it means to “come out” as gay.
