Exit from the closet

Exit from the closet. Lord John Brown, ex-head of British Petroleum, recently stated that “business is still intolerant of homosexuals,” and urged other leaders to think about this issue, since, according to his admission, “it is impossible to live in a lie. It is very difficult to never be yourself - and you do not even realize that when you deceive others, you are fooled by yourself "

The scandal around John Brown, then the leader of British Petroleum, broke out in 2007. His 29-year-old lover, with whom the Lord lived for four years, spoke about their relationship in the Sunday issue of the Daily Mail newspaper.
Machu-business
Brown, who was 59 years old at that time, immediately began to sue with the publication, which, by the way, now regrets. He says that he was “shameful and embarrassed” and quit the company (in which he worked for 40 years) so that the scandal would not affect it.
Baron Brown of Medanglian (his title sounds) knew about his orientation from school, but was always afraid to admit both his family and colleagues, so he assured everyone that "he simply did not find a suitable woman." “I had no doubt that being gay in the fuel business is completely unacceptable,” he said in 2010. - And I was shocked by the support of friends and the public when the truth was opened. It was fantastic. Hundreds and hundreds of letters - and a lot of BP. ”
The business environment is still too courageous. In every sense. “In the business community, another orientation is impossible, except for heterosexual,” says Andrei Yakushin, vice president of the Sorec advertising agency. -There are some cells in the media, and everyone knows this, but no one speaks openly. I personally do not know those who would aloud say that he will never do business with any gay, but I know that many are trying to avoid such options. ”

Deceive yourself
In Russia, people who have taken their non -traditional orientation hide. In the best case, they can afford not to confirm and not refute the rumors that go in their immediate environment. “This is such the highest limit of honesty,” says Igor Kochetkov, director of the St. Petersburg LGBT Openization “Exit”. - Russia still remains a patriarchal society in which sexual orientation and sexual identity are one of the ways of social stratification. To make a career in Russia, you must be married. This is confirmed by all sociologists, and there is no secret in this. ” Recent FOM studies say that half of the inhabitants of our country belongs to representatives of sexual minorities with disapproval. Do not condemn them a third of the respondents. Tolerance is higher among Muscovites and residents of other large cities, among people with higher education, as well as women and youth.
The need to hide your orientation leads to very serious stress. “People have to silent the circumstances of their personal lives, but what is it to an adult who respects himself - to lie all the time, to feel guilty? - says Kochetkov. - Of course, there are professional areas where you do not need to hide his homosexuality so carefully, but after all, a person cannot choose a profession depending on sexual orientation! In addition, there are spheres where your orientation has to be hidden with special care - this is, for example, the public service and the field of education. In these areas it is not like making a career, but it is simply impossible to be open gay or lesbian. By the way, very often people even come up with such excuses: “Yes, I am so good, the main thing is that I am a good pros” - but in these words there is often deep dissatisfaction. ”
As for the business environment, Igor Kochetkov said, there are different ways of disguise: they come up with brides, mistresses and even wives. There are women who are ready to marry a famous businessman, a successful official and put up with some inconvenience in sexual life. But it is clear that there can be no talk of any personal happiness. It happens that they agree with their wives “on the shore”, but it happens that they also hide from them, and here it is not rarely very large stresses for both sides, when everything is accidentally revealed. "

There are different ways of disguise in the business environment: they come up with brides, mistresses and even wives

“Women who accidentally discover the appropriate content from time to time in the“ exit ”psychologists. And it turns out that they are added to their spouse to their spouse or wife to lies to their colleagues. Such people are doomed to sex without love. This applies to sex with their wife or husband, and same -sex ties“ on the side ”, since building constant relations, even in fictitious marriage, is very difficult. They are forced to lead a double life. “You are immediately returning to this law on the prohibition of propaganda of homosexuality.
Open doors
We still have very few famous people who are ready to risk their position in order not to live in lies. “I, it seems, is generally the only public person who does not engage in human rights and openly admits his orientation,” says journalist and writer Masha Gessen. - Sometimes I feel a biased attitude, but, frankly, I personally did not face serious problems on this basis in my life. But, for example, I have a familiar doctor who worked in a state institution of a very high level and did everything to make it clear that he was gay. He and his partner have been living separately for many years, and friends from work, when they come to visit him, do not even know that this is a partner - they think that he is a born bachelor. "
Russians are easy to understand, because even the world -famous actors are given such outputs not without prejudice to reputation. The British actor Rupert Everett, who was one of the first (in 1990) admitted that he is a homosexual, assures that the camming out * * coming out (English) is a public announcement of his own homosexuality. deprived him of roles.
“Homophobia is based on fear of homosexuality with an admixture of aggressiveness, hatred, inadequate hostility,” says a sexologist, doctor of medical sciences Lev Shcheglov. -It is assumed that this, firstly, is a reflection of social attitudes based on the rejection of a different different one. Therefore, homophobia is most developed in authoritarian regimes. The less democracy, the more fears, fear and hatred of any “other” - in social behavior, in sexual, in ethnic traditions, etc. The second moment is more likely from the bowels of psychoanalysis - in this way, a person, as it were, unconsciously outlines such trends. And this internal conflict is discharged by the conscious persecution of homosexuals. ”
But, oddly enough, recently people have become more likely to admit their homosexuality. “We are not talking about VIPs, but about ordinary people,” says Igor Kochetkov. -Those who come to the activities of LGBT organization, begin to participate in public actions-they are already significantly more. This also shows the monitoring of social networks - gays began to write more about themselves. "
According to LGBT lawyers, this was affected by the law on the prohibition of propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia: its monstrous injustice was so angry with sex-minority, and human rights activists, which became clear: it was impossible to sit in the shadow further. This is a wonderful paradox in revenge to homophobes and religious radicals that are trying to make out of citizens who should be ashamed of themselves.