National Coming Out Day
In Washington DC on October 11th, 1987, over 500,000 people engaged in the second major National March for Lesbian and Gay Rights - five times the size of the first march in 1979. Co-founded by lesbian activist Jean O’Leary and psychologist Robert Eichberg, the purpose of National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is to raise awareness for those in the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights movement while also celebrating and supporting those who are able to come out.
So far during the year of 2021, many celebrities have come out: singer Demi Lovato, who came out as non-binary in May; Tommy Dorfman, who you might recognize from Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why”, came out as transgender; Canadian figure skater Kaitlyn Weaver, who in June announced through a post on Instagram that she is queer; and country artist TJ Osborne, who stated he was gay. Interestingly enough, just this past Monday, DC comics also announced in a statement that Jon Kent, the son of Superman, is officially taking ‘a bold new direction’ and will be coming out as bisexual in the next issue.
On a more serious note, on Monday October 11, 2021, President Biden brought up wanting the Senate to pass the Equality Act to mark National Coming Out Day, a bill that would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. Biden also expressed his hope to get rid of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures, saying that state legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community is “discriminatory.” He also said on Monday that he wants the LGBTQ+ community to know that “you are loved for who you are and you are admired for your courage.”
By: Mikayla Green