I've always had mixed feelings about National Coming Out Day.
Life in the closet is often painful and dark, but for many people, especially teens, it's not safe to come out.
AW is firmly opposed to outing people, but I can remember in the 1980s waking up early one morning and discovering that the LGBT campus student group, somewhat cluelessly, had placed stars on the office and dorm room doors of LGBT students.
Some of whom weren't out.
I went up and down all three floors of the dorm removing the stars.
Don't be clueless. Don't feel you have to "come out" to everyone you meet either; do what's best for you.
That said, there's a lot to be said about being out, and being able to be out, that really does make life better. There's a lot to be said to being quietly and happily queer. You don't have to have a six-foot rainbow flag over your house, but it's really meaningful and fulfilling to be able to talk about your spouse or same-sex partner easily and casually.
Our current administration in the U.S. is not an ally; it's still important to be here, be queer and be an ally.
Be yourself. Take joy. Be present.
Life in the closet is often painful and dark, but for many people, especially teens, it's not safe to come out.
AW is firmly opposed to outing people, but I can remember in the 1980s waking up early one morning and discovering that the LGBT campus student group, somewhat cluelessly, had placed stars on the office and dorm room doors of LGBT students.
Some of whom weren't out.
I went up and down all three floors of the dorm removing the stars.
Don't be clueless. Don't feel you have to "come out" to everyone you meet either; do what's best for you.
That said, there's a lot to be said about being out, and being able to be out, that really does make life better. There's a lot to be said to being quietly and happily queer. You don't have to have a six-foot rainbow flag over your house, but it's really meaningful and fulfilling to be able to talk about your spouse or same-sex partner easily and casually.
Our current administration in the U.S. is not an ally; it's still important to be here, be queer and be an ally.
Be yourself. Take joy. Be present.
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