Oct 11th, 2005
Today is National Coming Out Day…
…but you don’t have to come out today. There are 364 other days that could also serve your purpose just fine. October 11th is just a reminder that coming out is still necessary, and will continue to be necessary until no one is treated differently just because of their sexual orientation or gender expression.
Coming out demonstrates to anyone who claims they want nothing to do with “those people” that queer folks are in fact in their schools, churches, neighborhoods and small towns. It’s easy to hate a vague concept, and support anti-gay policy accordingly. It’s much more difficult to cast a vote for an anti-gay measure when you know it will directly hurt Jim and Richard, that really nice gay couple down the block — who everyone thought were “just roommates” until they officially came out. (Yeah, I know…but some people see what they want to see until it’s spelled out for them.)
My book devotes an entire chapter on coming out. And here are seven tips I wrote for how to minimize the drama when you decide it’s time.