Coming out of the closet, or simply coming out, is a figure of speech for (LGBT+) people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The term coming out can also be used in various non-LGBT applications (e.g. atheists). American gender theorist Judith Butler argues that the process of "coming out" does not free gay people from oppression. Although they may feel free to act as themselves, the opacity involved in entering a non-heterosexual territory insinuates judgment upon their identity, she argues in Imitation and Gender Insubordination (1991).