Instead, shame is something we do with, for, and against other people. Sedgwick writes that shame is "relational." And not just that, but it's useful. The way Sedgwick tells it, shame "permanently intensifies or alters the meaning of" what it attaches to. And she sees this especially at work in many of the touchstones of queer and trans culture. If Sedgwick is right, then shame isn't something to run and hide from. It's not something to be cured. It's just a part of the experiences that make us who we are. Sedgwick sums it up this way, in one of my favourite metaphors in the literature of queer feeling: "Shame and pride, shame and dignity, shame and self-display, shame and exhibitionism are different interlinings of the same glove."

— Park Cruising by Marcus McCann (Page 202 - 203)