The negative, shadow side of the werewolf mirrors that of the savage man. He is negative, destructive, and murderous. In many stories of the werewolf, the man fearing his werewolf nature locks himself in chains or a cage on the nights of the full moon. Sometimes his non-werewolf friends and acquaintances even help him do this. This is similar to the story of Iron John who is locked in a cage. The big difference is that Iron John was locked in the cage by others whereas the werewolf frequently considers himself a victim and voluntarily locks himself away in a basement, small room, or even a closet to “protect” society from his affliction. He gives away the key (and his power) to others to keep himself locked away until they deem it safe for him to come out. He may even feel safer himself while locked away. He actually may be safer, especially if there are ignorant and angry villagers on the loose.
How often do we as LGBTQ+ folks do this ourselves? We lock parts of ourselves away in polite company to protect others from our sexuality and to protect ourselves from being hunted and hurt by those who are ignorant of our true natures? We claim that being gay isn’t about sex; it’s about love, as if our sexual natures are too beastly to let out of the box. We try to fit into “normal” heterosexual shapes and forms, such as traditional marriage and traditional family structures, rather than shapeshifting these into forms that are more suited to our unique natures and the diversity of human experience throughout time and place. This closetedness and heterocentrism was especially true in the past, but to some extent it is still true today.