National Coming Out Day
I don't think I've ever personally known anyone who actually "came out" on National Coming Out Day, though I remember a few celebs doing it. For me, there was never a declaration to the world that I was gay, just sort of a gradual process of more and more people finding out about it. For my family, I came out to my sister first and told her it wasn't a secret and she could tell anyone she wanted to. It was kind of interesting how I came out in the workplace. It was 1992 and I was working alongside a fiercely-staunch, proselytizing Christian woman. She asked who I was voting for in the election. I said Bill Clinton. Her face contorted with disgust. She asked if I agreed with all he stood for including gay rights. I said I did. She asked me if I was gay. I said, as a matter of fact I was. For once she was speechless. The next day practically everyone in the plant knew I was gay - I could see it in their faces as I passed them in the halls. A few years earlier I had feared that coming out would have cost me my job, however then in 1992 I was confident enough to actually do it. And the majority of my co-workers didn't care one whit that I was gay, but there were a few that steered clear and gave me the cold shoulder. But the best thing about my coming out is that it actually served to enlighten some of my co-workers and change their minds about gay people.