To Be an Actor and Gay in LA - Rethinking our discussion about gay youth, I wondered if there isn't a parallel in the entertainment world. Like in high school, the "rewards" for coming out, emotional well-being etc., probably pale in comparison to the "penalties," which in Hollywood are economic. Coming out always presents the greatest risk to those who go first, while those who choose to come out last risk the least. Sure, if everyone came out at once, then the first / last rules wouldn't apply, but we know that can't happen. Simple game theory explains why those rules tend to create a mutually reinforcing code of silence. Actors are more likely than high school kids to follow the logic and act rationally by staying in the closet.