Goffman also talks about the use of symbols as a way for the stigmitized person to announce to the world that they have a stigma. Some of these symbols include a veil or Muslum women to a cane and sunglasses for a blind person. In Greg's case he wore and rainbow braclet on his ankle. Although most of us noticed it after he told us he was gay most people orginally had no idea that it was there. For the most part of the day we wear boots well up there but every now and then we would go down to the waterfront. It was there that I first noticed this braclet. He used this symbol to convy the fact that he was gay and not embarrassed by it. Although he never came out and said it, if a person asked him about it he would admitt to it. He wasn't embarrassed by it but he didn't feel a need to shove it in everyone's face.

Greg had told me a few times about how he had gone to gay clubs on teen nights. While he was there he said he felt like he belonged. The people there knew what he was going through and since many of them were in the same boat they didn't judge him. He said that meant alot to him, to know that he was different but that there wasn't anything wrong with it. By being around others that share the same stigma one can get a feeling that others are wrong for judging them based on their stigma. Since they see other people with the stigma as role models they become less discouraged about not being a "normal." Having a good social network of people who share the same perspective as you allows you to embrace the stigma more re

Some common words found in the essay are:
Erving Goffman, Greg Greg, Jersey I've, Stigma Assignment, Boy Scout, discreditable stigma, idea day, gay person, people close,
Approximate Word count = 1034
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)