National Coming Out Day is October 11th! This year is the 35th anniversary of the first National Coming Out Day (NCOD), which occurred on October 11 1988, which itself was the first anniversary of the 2nd National March on Washington held in 1987 (Wikipedia). In recent times, NCOD has been a project of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ political advocacy organization in the United States.
The logo was specifically created for NCOD by openly gay artist Keith Haring.
In more recent years, there have been debates in the LGBTQ community about the utility of the event. For example, last year the Washington Blade published an article that discussed how for different segments of the LGBTQ community (especially those who had other marginalized identities) coming out can have complications.
Here are some discussion questions for the comments:
- What do you think about this idea (that coming out may be more difficult for different segments of the LGBTQ community) included in the Washington Blade article?
- What are your thoughts about the phrase "inviting in" versus "coming out"?
- Do you think NCOD still serves a useful purpose?
- When was the first time you heard about NCOD?
4 comments:
1) I very much agree with the idea that some people may have a harder time coming out. I think this relates to intersectionality (for instance how Black women are treated badly and bisexuals are also treated badly, but if you identify as a Black woman who is bisexual you get the worst part of both).
2) I think the phrase "inviting in" versus "coming out" creates a safer community and also helps the idea that nothing is "wrong" with you. Coming out enforces the idea that the public is mainly heterosexual and that that is the norm. As opposed to this, inviting in creates a comforting idea and supports the idea that you can choose who you want to know and I think it gives the aspect of more support.
3) I think NCOD as a day still is useful as it helps to bring awareness to the prospect of coming out.
4) The first time I heard of NCOD was sometime when I was younger looking at a calendar of national days. It helped to spark interest in me and in later years I recognized the day and thought about it more.
There's no doubt that coming out could have complications, especially for people of more marginalized communities. I agree with Hannah in saying that this relates to intersectionality, as one group may be supportive of a person's sexuality, yet another group they are a part of may not, which makes it more difficult for them to feel accepted overall. I often feel as though the term "coming out" reinforces the idea of a heterosexual society. It sometimes feels as though the term was created to separate LGBTQ+ community members from the straight general public, and it can make queer people feel as though they owe something to heterosexuals. While I think the term "inviting in" could be more inclusive, it would also be difficult to make it catch on, as "coming out" is such a well known term. I do feel as though NCOD serves a useful purpose as it allows people wanting to come out a sense of community. I think I first heard about NCOD when I was a freshman in high school from some of my other queer peers.
I think NCOD is still valuable as a celebration of its history. There should never be any pressure to come out, especially in situations where it might put you in really physical danger, though I can attest that once I realized I was queer I was sorta waiting for the “right time” to come out to my close friends who I already knew I could trust and I ended up coming out at the beginning of pride month. I think NCOD serves as an encouraging push (with respect to people who aren’t safe or don’t feel comfortable) and a reminder to everybody of how far our fight has come.
I first time I heard about NCOD was within the past few years. It really wasn't until one of my best friends from high school came out as gay that I started looking more into LGBTQ+ history and holidays. I will say that the term 'inviting in' to me seams like you are welcome into the home of support and safety. And i agree that 'coming out' feels harsher in the sense that you feel more isolated with assumption that before you were hetrosexual. It will be interesting to see a future when people won't just assume your sexuality from the moment you are born.
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