In the
beginning there was a
march.
·
On
October 11, 1987, half a million people participated in the march on Washington
for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It was the second such demonstration in the capital
of the USA and resulted in the founding of a number of LGBTQ organizations,
including the National Latino/a Gay & Lesbian Organization (LLEGÓ) and
AT&T’s LGBTQ employee group, LEAGUE.
·
The
momentum continued four months after this march as more than 100 lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and queer activists from around the country
gathered in Warrenton, Va., about 25 miles outside Washington, D.C.
·
Recognizing
that the LGBTQ community often reacted defensively to anti-LGBTQ actions, they
came up with the idea of a national day to celebrate coming out and chose the
anniversary of that second march on Washington to mark it.
·
The
originators of the idea were Rob Eichberg,
a founder of the personal growth workshop, ‘The Experience’, and Jean O’Leary, then head of National Gay
Rights Advocates. From this idea the National Coming Out Day was born.
·
Each year
on October 11, National Coming Out Day continues to promote a safe world for
LGBTQ individuals to live truthfully and openly.
“We often run from our own fears. We run away,
we ignore them, we hide them in the most impenetrable corners of the soul in
the hope that they will disappear with time. We know very well that they do not
disappear or evaporate. They gather one by one, all together until you feel
that you can no longer, as if they were strangling you with their imprisonment.
Then you feel the need to do something.”
“On
October 11, the coming out day or leaving
the closet is celebrated, as a symbol of the fact that the visibility of
LGBT people is important for recognizing equality in rights and freedoms.
Coming out is a difficult and emotionally charged step for LGBT youth. On
October 11, people share the stories of people who have already taken this step
and who, through their examples, show the world that family and friends are the
ones who give you strength in the fight against prejudice.”
