Artigenda
Coming Out Day
When: annually, October 11.
Coming Out Day takes place annually on October 11. This is the day when it should be possible for everyone to come out openly about sexual orientation or gender identity, to the extent that this is (perhaps) not the case on other days. Indeed, Coming Out Day is just why some make this known. Hence, the day is much needed.
It may be strange to focus on one day in particular to make all this known for the first time. Why should this be limited to just one day? It has to do with the fact that this is not easy for everyone. Think of the negative reactions this news can generate. Bullying, discrimination and even violence. This is not normal and yet it occurs.
Origin
It started with the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights on 11 October 1987. On that day, as many as half a million people decided to demonstrate in the US capital for equal rights for people from the LGBTQIA community. In particular, people demonstrated against a ruling against a US Supreme Court ruling. A bizarre ruling, one might say, which banned same-sex sexual acts (defined by the outdated and very negative term sodomy). The Supreme Court said such a ban was not unlawful.
NGRA
The march prompted a follow-up a year later, organised by the National Gay Rights Advocates (NGRA), and a national day was organised to encourage people to manifest their sexual identity and gender identity or come ‘out of the closet’ on this very day.
It was not limited to just the United States. People in other countries also decided that this was an important day. In other countries too, it was not always taken for granted that news was received by everyone in a normal way. Indeed, this news can still be received by some people today in a non-normal way. Hatred towards the LGBTQIA community is high.
'Safe haven'
Think of the day as a kind of ‘safe haven.’ A day when you can share something. You don’t have to. A day when you are allowed to express something, it doesn’t have to be.
It can also be a day when others do something for you. For example, when a municipality installs a rainbow zebra crossing or places a bench in a park with rainbow colours. To show solidarity in this way.
