national coming out day

national coming out day

The National Equality March and rally is this Sunday, October 11 in Washington, D.C., to symbolically coincide with National Coming Out Day. But after 20-plus years, has National Coming Out Day lost it's relevance? So many people are open about their sexuality now, and equal rights under the law is at the forefront of the modern LGBT movement. Is there really a need for a National Coming Out Day anymore? National Coming Out Day is not just an American event. People in countries worldwide participate. Shouldn't there be some acknowledgment of their contributions in our collective quest for equality?

International Equality Day would have a global impact. It would take the pressure off people to pigeonhole themselves into a particular sexual category, and better reflect the times we live in today. For example, same-gender marriage is now recognized by several countries - Canada, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and South Africa. Civil unions and domestic partnerships are recognized in 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, just to name a few. Unions are also recognized in some parts of Mexico, Australia, and Venezuela, and other countries.

National Coming Out Day was founded in 1988 by Dr. Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary, acting on behalf of their organizations for gay and lesbian equality. National Coming Out Day events are aimed at raising awareness of the LGBT community among the general populace in an effort to give a familiar face to the LGBT movement. At the time it was contemplated, there was no Defense of Marriage Act, or 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. The idea of same-gender marriage wasn't even a remote possibility in the U.S. until 2004, when Massachusetts passed a law legalizing it in the state.