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Crafting a straight persona
may be detrimental to
individuals and gay rights movement
By RYAN LEE
Friday, May 25, 2007
Whether by the braided Mohawk atop his head, the soft features on his clean-shaven face or his tendency to wear form-fitting jeans and T-shirts, Avery Sparks believes it’s not too difficult for most people to look at him and tell he’s gay.
“I don’t think I hardly ever pass for straight,” said a laughing Sparks, a 21-year-old who lives in southwest Atlanta. “People give me looks all the time, and I know why they’re looking, but oh well.”
Michael Young, 20, is also used to occasional stares from neighbors and passers-by, but he is more confident in his ability to be “unclockable” than his best friend Sparks.
“I don’t feel like I scream ‘gay,’” Young said. “Most of the time, unless I’m going out or specifically trying to dress a little showy, people aren’t going to look at me and think first that I’m gay.
“When we’re around our house or in certain areas,” Young continued, “I usually try to be unclockable, just to avoid drama.”
Sparks agreed that comments about his appearance are sometimes both irritating and intimidating.
“You want to be who you really are, but you don’t want to get beat up for that,” Sparks said.
Benefits of passing
The practice of “passing” has long been a way for some members of an underprivileged or oppressed group to escape the consequences of belonging to that group, while benefiting from being perceived as belonging to the privileged group.
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