Re-theorizing the Sexual Minority Closet: Evidence From Queer South Asian Women

Scholarship generally assumes the closet is a place of safety from the perceived risks associated with coming out. However, this overlooks its function as a source of violence, particularly for those belonging to multiple marginalized communities. Drawing on 40 qualitative interviews with second- and 1.5-generation queer South Asian women (QSAW) in Canada, this article offers a re-theorization of the closet as a dual site of safety and violence. My findings show that the convergence of sexual expectations of coming out with ethnic demands of staying closeted exacerbates QSAW's vulnerability to violence from family, the LGBTQ+ community, and intimate partners, who use violence as a tool to enforce, contest, and exploit the closet, respectively. Ultimately, the results stress the dangers of pressuring QSAW to come out to their parents. The findings are significant for understanding the intersectional complexities of the closet.