The term coming out holds different meanings for members of the LGBTQ+ community. For some, it’s liberation. For others, it’s the source of their deepest fears and anxieties. Coming out for some queer identifying people may be as simple as introducing a partner or casually slipping it into conversation, while for others, sharing their true selves could mean losing their life as they know it.
National Coming Out Day is observed every year on October 11 and serves as a way to not only honor the bravery of out queer folks, but as a day to support those who still have yet to come out to their loved ones and the world.
In honor of the 35th National Coming Out Day, Qnotes has created a guide to the history of the holiday, what events are taking place across the Carolinas in honor of the day and why National Coming Out Day is important to us and our community.
Behind National Coming Out Day
The first National Coming Out Day was celebrated on October 11, 1988, one year after the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The march, held October 8-13. 1987, was the second demonstration for the LGBTQ+ equality movement in the United States Capitol and was held to draw attention to the federal government’s failure to address the HIV and AIDS epidemic and protest the Supreme Court’s 1986 decision upholding Georgia’s anti-gay sodomy law.
The 1987 march also unveiled the AIDS memorial quilt, which became a famous symbol recognizing those who succumbed to the disease. Over 500,000 people came to Washington D.C. to advocate for their rights as American citizens. With this sudden national attention, activists such as Rob Eichberg and Jean O’Leary knew they needed to capitalize on the momentum from the march. Thus, National Coming Out Day was born and was quickly recognized in communities across the United States.
The day was designed with two things in mind: providing a safe space for people to freely express themselves and giving queer people the power to confront society with their very existence. According to an article from The 19th News:
“ … they also saw the political power in coming out. Like the gay rights leader Harvey Milk, they believed that straight people would find it easier to discriminate against a faceless community. Shunning your own gay brother, sister, daughter or friend would prove harder. If people came out, the country would be forced to confront the movement.”
From National Coming Out Day to LGBTQ+ History Month
National Coming Out Day isn’t the only LGBTQ+ centric event taking place during October. LGBTQ+ History Month — which hasn’t been formally recognized by the United States government — has been celebrated in many communities across the globe since it was established in 1994.
The celebration was born in a Mehlville High School classroom in suburban St. Louis. High school history teacher Rodney Wilson was giving a lesson on the Holocaust to his class when he explained to the class if he had lived in Germany during World War II, he likely would’ve been taken to a concentration camp and killed. The reason: he was gay.
Coming out to his class made Wilson the first openly gay teacher in Missouri, and soon, Wilson made it his mission to create a curriculum to teach students about queer history. He worked with several national organizations to create what is now LGBTQ+ History Month. In 1995, the month received national recognition for the first time when Newsweek reported on the festivities.
Wilson’s intention for the LGBTQ+ History Month curriculum was to share it with school districts across the country, but it was met with backlash from conservatives, including the evangelical nonprofit Concerned Women for America. The month continued through the 1990s, but soon lost momentum when fewer organizations expressed less interest in observing the month and funding dwindled.
It wasn’t until 2006 when Equality Forum began picking 31 LGBTQ+ people to recognize through the month of October that LGBTQ+ History Month made a comeback. Six years later, two school districts — Broward County school district in Florida and Los Angeles school district — formally recognized the month. Now, many universities and school districts hold events throughout the month of October celebrating LGBTQ+ history and supporting queer students.
How National Coming Out Day is being celebrated across the Carolinas
National Coming Out Day will be celebrated across the Carolinas through events designed to not only honor LGBTQ+ history, but to show queer residents they are supported and welcomed.
Some events include:
North Carolina State University will be hosting its annual PrideFest on October 3. The festival, which will be at Stafford Commons, is meant to “recognize and honor the valuable contributions of LGBTQ+ members of our Wolfpack and their allies,” according to the event’s website. PrideFest will start at 3 p.m.
North Carolina A&T University will host a National Coming Out Stories and Panel Discussion, where faculty, students and community members will share their coming out stories. Lunch will be provided for attendees.
Clemson University will hold ally trainings on October 10 for faculty, staff and students on how to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community through awareness, empathy, action and advocacy. There will also be a National Coming Out Day festival on October 11.
Elon University, in the week leading up to National Coming Out Day, will host various educational events for its students and faculty. Exact details haven’t been released.