Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown
Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown| Photo: YouTube/NowThis News
Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown (who recently proposed to his partner) avoids the phrase ‘coming out.’
Brown believes in letting LGBTI people should control their own narratives and coming out experiences. For him, this means avoiding the term ‘coming out’ altogether. Instead, he ‘invites people in.’
‘For me, “coming out” gives the power to the other person to accept or deny you,’ Brown explains. ‘When you’re “inviting them in,” you have the power.’
The analogy
During an interview with NowThis, Brown expands on this idea further using an analogy his grandmother once used.
‘My grandmother said this and I loved the way she put it: Imagine if somebody came to your house and knocked on your door and you said, “Hey, come into my fabulous home. It represents me.” And they were like, “I don’t like it.” You’re not gonna cry. You’re gonna close your door and feel comforted, because you’re in your house. And that was the same way [with] me. When I was letting people into my life, if they didn’t want to come into my life, I knew that was OK because I still had my home. I felt safe about myself.’
‘Queer Eye’ star Karamo Brown thinks we need a new term for ‘coming out’ pic.twitter.com/7ECfnmwEZr
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 23, 2018
Though Brown doesn’t take issue with other people using the phrase ‘coming out,’ he’s made this decision for himself, personally, as he aims to prioritize self-care and self-empowerment. By using the term ‘inviting people in,’ Brown is in control of his own narrative.
‘If they do not want to come into your life immediately, that has nothing to do with you — they are on their own journey,’ Brown said. ‘Do not tolerate disrespect, because you deserve only the best.’
