Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemology of the Closet analyzed how Western literature and culture reinforce the idea of the closet, where LGBTQ+ individuals are forced to navigate secrecy and disclosure. Her work highlighted how binary thinking about sexuality—gay vs. straight—limits understanding of queer identities. According to Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach, "For Sedgwick, the history of homosexuality is not a minority history—it is the history of modern Western culture" (Miller, 2022, Ch 1).

1. Amory, D. P., Massey, S. G., Miller, J., & Brown, A. P. (2022). Introduction to LGBTQ+ studies: A cross-disciplinary approach (2nd ed.). Kendall Hunt Publishing.