LGBT's worst foe: The Closet Monster

Gays' worst enemies? Too often: Closet cases terrified of being exposed. A hall of shame

Published June 23, 2012 2:00PM (EDT)

     (Salon/Benjamin Wheelock)
(Salon/Benjamin Wheelock)

This story has been corrected since it was originally published.

Was anyone surprised when new research suggested that some homophobes were really closet cases? Maybe someone under a rock the past 30 years, because now when a preacher/politician/activist condemns homosexuals, it's even money that there's a rent boy close by with a delightfully filthy story to tell.

As Pride parades take over the streets this weekend and the days ahead, Salon is definitively documenting a particularly virulent enemy of freedom -- the Closet Monster -- beginning with this slide show, which we'll update with your suggestions and any new additions that emerge over time. The criteria: public figures who were actively anti-gay while cloaked in the darkness of the closet. Post your suggestions in the Comments below, and email tips to ClosetMonsters@salon.com.

Slide show researched and compiled by Katie Ryder


By Kerry Lauerman

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