National LGBTQ Coming out Day

Today is National Coming Out day. A day of important for the LGBTQ community as it commemorates the 1987 march on Washington DC for Lesbian and Gay Rights. A day that signified to the world and to the US government that we deserve the same rights and freedoms as every other citizen of the United States. Today, with our community and rights under fire and potentially being taken away by the Republican part and their supporters, it’s important for all of us to show the world we exist. Coming out is an individual right as it is up to the individual to declare to the world that one is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. Why do it? To free oneself from the lie of not being one’s true self. It’s about freedom; free to be who one is, not who family and society expect one to be. It’s about not hiding and stepping out of the darkness and into the light of being true to oneself. It’s about visibility. It's about showing the world and society that there are more of us than they think. It’s about demanding respect as all members of the LGBTQ community deserve to be treated as equals like the rest of society. Coming out is about force and power. As one voice, as one group, we can show the world that we are entity to be dealt with. WE are the same as everyone else. I’ve been out for over thirty-two years and I don’t regret one day of it. I came out at a time when it wasn’t acceptable to be gay, but I stood firm, I believed in myself. I had to be me. In ways I’m still coming out, as I’m still discovering things about myself. Today, National Coming Out Day, I declare once again that I am a gay man, not afraid to be myself. To anyone who tries to take that away from me, or my fellow brother and sisters, I will fight for them to be free to be who they are. To those who are questioning and afraid to come out, know you are loved, and supported by us in the community who have been there. We are here to support you, to fight for you. Will you join us?