Oct 11th, 2007
Happy National Coming Out Day!
Here are two of my favorite coming-out stories I’ve heard about lately.
The Mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, came out about his daughter the way most people come out the first time: trembling and determined. That is when you know you are doing the right thing: when you have weighed all the risks, yet none of them seem to justify remaining silent. Watch the video, if you haven’t already. I dare you to not shed a tear.
Loraine Barr wrote a “My Turn” essay for Newsweek to come out as lesbian — at the age of 88. She and her partner, who is no longer living, were together for 44 years. Can you imagine? Sharing your life with someone for 44 years and never telling even your closest friends?
The Orange County Register published the headline “At 88, Laguna Woods woman comes out.” The article covers much that the one-page essay in Newsweek could not — about Barr’s history with her partner, and the after-effects of the essay: the silence in her community, and the outpouring of support from strangers across the nation.
Thinking about coming out? Read my advice on the topic at FamiliesLikeMine.com.