National Coming Out Day, or NCOD for short, is an annual awareness day that celebrates people coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and everything else on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and the allies that support them. The day is observed on October 11, and began in 1988, making this year the 27th anniversary. This celebratory day originated out of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The New York Times reported that about 200,000 LGBTQ+ members and allies marched to get more federal money for AIDS research and treatments and to end the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. The efforts of the community then have paved the way for members today to have the opportunity to be celebrated rather than persecuted for their sexuality or gender identity.
On October 11, 2015, #NationalComingOutDay and #NCOD were trending topics on Twitter and prompted a multitude of people to show their support and love to anyone coming out, struggling with coming out, or for the people that have already come out. A Twitter user explained that the coming out experiences could be described as “exciting, traumatic, transformative, awkward, and wonderful.”
NCOD is not only a day to celebrate the courageous souls that are coming out and have come out, but it’s also a day to further educate people on the topic. In the LGBTQ+ community, coming out is defined as, “The process of revealing your sexuality or gender identity to individuals in your life; often incorrectly thought to be a one-time event, this is a lifelong and sometimes daily process.” Many people, whether they be youngor old, struggle with coming out based on the ideals of the individuals in their lives or because of societal standards.
The nation is in a stage where more knowledge, acceptance, and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community is evident, but there is still much more progress that has to be made for the future. NCOD is a not only a day for awareness, but it is also a mantra for everyone,whether a part of the LGBTQ+ community, allies, or otherwise, to realize that the LGBTQ+ community deserves the right to always be true to themselves.
Photo courtesy of Quinn Dombrowski on Flickr:https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/8065672959/in/photolist-dhJFyT-8dUx51-9Xvpja-4ZFdda-27Cr5X-oCwfsu-qrr6Ng-a97sHf-vgv1NK-nSkiyk-5Cu7bT-f7nu3a-nZLUqP-a4TNdD-vaU21s-f7nvkZ-cYNAQm-vfFQf5-f7nrja-6vvGsS-uSKqX8-ghZ2Kh-a4SnVM-a4Vaxy-a4VpQh-a4SbbK-eXS4KH-oytTKC-6LbeHo-a4Sv5K-a4Sf4F-a4VhTN-a4UXvW-8pnQHU-41rAv-a4WxiN-4ZLKqv-a4Vu6Y-6xHDVD-vcUsw9-a4RY5c-a9cKZ6-cdocx7-7ktg5B-cdohW7-a9cmee-a4S3tM-cdmyKY-cVJ5QN-89yFRD