The closet, sewing communities, and yay for good comments
I’m loving this article written on the Sewcialists blog. It’s a blog with the goal of making the sewing community more inclusive and representing a wider range of voices. The article is published under a pseudonym, as the author isn’t out.
Who We Are: The Closeted Sewcialist
It makes my heart warm to read other people being so supportive (mostly) in the comments. It’s a good reminder that coming out is hard and not always the right choice for everyone all the time. Also, an important theme is the ongoing misogyny and exclusion of femmes within the queer community.
Over the years, through my work, and my personal life, it’s become clear that staying in the closet isn’t a long-term option. I want to be fully out. As a queer femme, or really anyone else on the queer spectrum, you end up having to come out all the time. It’s never-ending, but being as active on social media as I am, it would be wonderful to feel free enough to add a rainbow flag to my profile as a shorthand for potential clients to know that I get it, I’m not going to judge you, and you’re safe. I do it in person, but it’s frustrating to not feel like I can share my life publicly, when I share so much about my sewing life already.
I’ll let the author know you enjoyed her post! I felt the same optimism and pride reading the comments – as the founder of the Sewcialists, I’m always just slightly nervous when we post something hat could be contentious, but once again, our readers came through and were nothing but awesome and supportive!