An LGBTQ+ Guide to Coming Out Safely and Happily
(CNN) — National Coming Out Day is October 11, established to honor LGBTQ people stepping fully into their true selves to others — also known as coming out of the closet.
It's a day for honoring the act, and all the related hopes, fears, dreams, and expectations for the future.The designation started in 1988 on the first anniversary of the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in October 1987. (The first march was in 1979.)"National Coming Out Day exists to promote a safe, inclusive, and loving world where LGBTQ+ people can live truthfully, openly, and without fear," said Joni Madison, interim president of the Human Rights Campaign. "Coming out isn't something you do once — it's a decision that we make every single day of our lives.
Whether it's for the first time ever or the first time today, coming out can be a challenging journey, but it's also a brave decision to live authentically."The landscapeMuch has changed since that historic political rally during the height of the AIDS crisis.
In the decades since, anti-discrimination laws were enacted, same-sex marriage became law of the land, and HIV/AIDS went from a stigmatized death sentence to being manageable — and even medically preventable.Nearly everyone knows someone who is LGBTQ, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center study, and the number of people who identify as LGBTQ has ticked ever upward, now at more than 7% of the US population, according to a 2022 Gallup poll.
