The phrase “coming out” has its origins in the debutante balls “or coming out parties” aristocratic young women traditionally held to announce their entrance into high society and their eligibility for marriage. But, starting at the turn of the twentieth century, gay subcultures began appropriating the term, and now the idea of “coming out” to family and friends not only holds a central place in the LGBTQ rights movement, but is now finding its way into other movements. Abigail C. Saguy, Professor of Sociology at the University of California – Los Angeles, is the author of a new book, “Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are.”
