Kenji Yoshino

This was a point of real tension in my relationship with him because Paul, quite rightly, felt that I was downplaying him or hiding him in ways that suggested I was ashamed of the relationship and that he really deserved better. And the idea of holding somebody's hand in public or... showing public displays of same-sex affection were all sort of verboten at this time for me.

So the advice that I got when I started teaching as a junior professor was by a very well-meaning, very kind colleague who wanted only good things for me. And he put his arm around me as we were walking down the hall. And he said, you know, Kenji, you'll have a lot smoother ride to getting tenure if you are a homosexual professional rather than a professional homosexual.

So the advice that I got when I started teaching as a junior professor was by a very well-meaning, very kind colleague who wanted only good things for me. And he put his arm around me as we were walking down the hall. And he said, you know, Kenji, you'll have a lot smoother ride to getting tenure if you are a homosexual professional rather than a professional homosexual.

So the advice that I got when I started teaching as a junior professor was by a very well-meaning, very kind colleague who wanted only good things for me. And he put his arm around me as we were walking down the hall. And he said, you know, Kenji, you'll have a lot smoother ride to getting tenure if you are a homosexual professional rather than a professional homosexual.

And I knew exactly what he meant. What he meant was you'll do much better if you are the mainstream constitutional law professor who teaches separation of powers and federalism and judicial review and just happens to be gay on the side as a extracurricular activity.

And I knew exactly what he meant. What he meant was you'll do much better if you are the mainstream constitutional law professor who teaches separation of powers and federalism and judicial review and just happens to be gay on the side as a extracurricular activity.

And I knew exactly what he meant. What he meant was you'll do much better if you are the mainstream constitutional law professor who teaches separation of powers and federalism and judicial review and just happens to be gay on the side as a extracurricular activity.

than you will if you are the gay rights professor who teaches gay rights subjects and writes on gay rights issues and works on gay rights cases. Unfortunately, of course, it was the latter that I wanted to do. This was now 1996, the time when the ice was finally breaking up. on the LGBTQIA+, you know, landscape. The Romer versus Evans case had just been decided.

than you will if you are the gay rights professor who teaches gay rights subjects and writes on gay rights issues and works on gay rights cases. Unfortunately, of course, it was the latter that I wanted to do. This was now 1996, the time when the ice was finally breaking up. on the LGBTQIA+, you know, landscape. The Romer versus Evans case had just been decided.

than you will if you are the gay rights professor who teaches gay rights subjects and writes on gay rights issues and works on gay rights cases. Unfortunately, of course, it was the latter that I wanted to do. This was now 1996, the time when the ice was finally breaking up. on the LGBTQIA+, you know, landscape. The Romer versus Evans case had just been decided.

It was really clear that we were barreling our way towards Lawrence versus Texas in 2003, which was the Brown v. Board, the gay rights movement. I did not want to be on the sidelines for that. But what he was clearly saying was, if you want to get tenure here, you really need to manage your identity. And there's just a limit to how gay you can be in this environment and expect to succeed.

It was really clear that we were barreling our way towards Lawrence versus Texas in 2003, which was the Brown v. Board, the gay rights movement. I did not want to be on the sidelines for that. But what he was clearly saying was, if you want to get tenure here, you really need to manage your identity. And there's just a limit to how gay you can be in this environment and expect to succeed.

It was really clear that we were barreling our way towards Lawrence versus Texas in 2003, which was the Brown v. Board, the gay rights movement. I did not want to be on the sidelines for that. But what he was clearly saying was, if you want to get tenure here, you really need to manage your identity. And there's just a limit to how gay you can be in this environment and expect to succeed.

Exactly. And the reason that that was so utterly painful for me was it was someone I really admired and trusted. And he was saying, actually, there's another hurdle that you need to wrestle with, right? Which is you don't need to be straight, right? So you don't need to convert. You don't need to be in the closet, i.e. you don't need to pass, but you do need to, as you put it, Shankar, not flaunt.

Exactly. And the reason that that was so utterly painful for me was it was someone I really admired and trusted. And he was saying, actually, there's another hurdle that you need to wrestle with, right? Which is you don't need to be straight, right? So you don't need to convert. You don't need to be in the closet, i.e. you don't need to pass, but you do need to, as you put it, Shankar, not flaunt.

Exactly. And the reason that that was so utterly painful for me was it was someone I really admired and trusted. And he was saying, actually, there's another hurdle that you need to wrestle with, right? Which is you don't need to be straight, right? So you don't need to convert. You don't need to be in the closet, i.e. you don't need to pass, but you do need to, as you put it, Shankar, not flaunt.

You need to downplay, mute, edit your identity so that the rest of us can feel more comfortable around you. So that was a moment when I had this pit in my stomach and I realized that I needed to engage in yet more kind of identity management when I thought that the era of that was long over in my own life.

You need to downplay, mute, edit your identity so that the rest of us can feel more comfortable around you. So that was a moment when I had this pit in my stomach and I realized that I needed to engage in yet more kind of identity management when I thought that the era of that was long over in my own life.

You need to downplay, mute, edit your identity so that the rest of us can feel more comfortable around you. So that was a moment when I had this pit in my stomach and I realized that I needed to engage in yet more kind of identity management when I thought that the era of that was long over in my own life.

Yes, I'm sure this will resonate with most readers, right, who read a book and it so aptly describes something in their own life that they realize that they will never be able to see the world in the same way again. And that book for me was Irving Goffman's book, Stigma, Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity.