Everyone is covering something

I highly recommend a book by Kenji Yoshino called Covering. In it, he talks about how everyone engages in covering—not just LGBT individuals, Black individuals straightening their hair, or Asian individuals trying to downplay their features. He also examines how straight white men cover, whether by dyeing their hair to appear younger or through other means.

Yoshino’s book opens a dialogue that includes everyone, even straight white men who have privilege and may not recognize discrimination faced by others. Recommending these kinds of readings and engaging in unconscious bias training can be incredibly powerful. But beyond that, it’s important to explore sources that resonate with all of us—because we all have insecurities, and we all cover in some way to fit into the mainstream.

I often laugh when discussing Covering with people. I tell them, “I don’t dye my hair, and I’m an out lesbian—but I don’t always tell people I’m a lawyer.” I cover the fact that I have a law degree. And everyone laughs, because the truth is, we all cover something.

Recognizing this shared experience is a way for us to connect with our common humanity.