National Coming Out Day

National Coming Out Day Logo by Keith Haring From Outcyclopedia, the free and queer encyclopedia. National Coming Out Day is observed on 11 October as an opportunity for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons to come out and announce their sexuality and identity to those around them. The premise behind this annual event is that as people become more aware of how many GLBT persons exist, of the vital roles they play in society, and of their value and worth as human beings, it becomes harder for anti-gay forces to dehumanize and demonize gays in the public eye. It thus becomes harder to justify anti-gay violence and discrmination. More importantly, it relieves those persons who keep their gayness a secret from living lives of fear, shame, and self-hate. It also provides gay and questioning youth positive role-models and the knowledge that they are not alone. National Coming Out day had its beginnings in 1987, during the second GLBT March on Washington and the first display of the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt . Rob Eichberg, founder of The Experience personal growth workshop, and Jean O'Leary, head of the National Gay Rights Advocates, decided to commemorate the anniversary of these two important events with a day which would celebrate gay identity and the difficult yet courageous act of coming out. An office from which to organize the event was established in the West Hollywood headquarters of National Gay Rights Advocates. Artist Keith Haring donated an image of a person dancing out of a closet as a logo for the event. In 1988 the first National Coming Out Day was observed in eighteen states, with news coverage on CNN and National Public Radio, among others. In 1989 the event's headquarters were moved to an office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The 1990s brought major changes in the observation of National Coming Out Day. Thanks to free publicity in the gay press, in 1990 the event was being observed in all fifty states and also in seven other countries. In 1991 Geraldo Riviera featured the event on his talk show, and former Bewitched star Dick Sargent came out as a gay man on national television, accompanied by his friend, California Assemblywoman and former Dobie Gillis star Sheila Kuehl. Two years later, National Coming Out Day merged with the Human Rights Campaign Fund, greatly expanding its capacity to promote itself and reach out to the gay and straight communities. In 1994 television actress and director Amanda Bearse chaired National Coming Out Day events, which were expanded into a year-long program. The following year saw Candice Gingrich, Dan Butler, and Melissa Etheridge acting as spokespersons for the event. In 1996 the emphasis was not only on coming out but also on encouraging members of the GLBT community to vote, with Greg Louganis and Chastity Bono lending their voices. Betty DeGeneres, mother of Ellen DeGeneres, became a spokesperson in 1997, emphasizing that coming out benefited not only gay people but also their families. And 1999 saw a "Come Out to Congress" drive, intended to show members of the legislature how many GLBT voters existed in their constituencies. While National Coming Out Day has had increasingly political themes in the last few years, its emphasis remains helping GLBT persons accpet themselves for who and what they are, and to have the courage and support to come out to themselves, their family, their friends, their co-workers and classmates, and the world at large, all with the knowledge that they are not alone. The event is important on a personal level because its liberating effects for persons who otherwise might spend their entire lives in loneliness, fear, secrecy, and self-loathing. On a broader level, it shows to the world that we are a sizeable and important group of individuals, persons of worth who make valuable and vital contributions to society. Coming out is one of the hardest things a gay person may face, but it is also one of the most wonderful. External links: Human Rights Campaign - Coming Out Entry revised 9 October, 2004. All text is available for use under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (see Copyrights for details).