National Coming Out Day
Gah, I wish I had something funny or insightful to share today. I don't. I'm kind of headachey and my face hurts and breathing through my nose is a fancy maneuver I can't quite get a handle on right now. But that doesn't matter, just like it doesn't matter if I can come up with something witty or meaningful to say.
Because, you know what? Today isn't about me.
It's about the millions of people, worldwide, for whom coming out is a struggle, an issue, a danger. It's about the people who have come out already and now face the problems of being 'out' in a society that still doesn't truly accept them. It's about the people who didn't have a chance to come out before they died, either through violence or suicide based simply on their perceived sexuality. It's about the people who have come out and are living happily with their friends and family, accepted and loved.
Except today is about me, too. Because NCOD isn't just about members of the LGBTQQI community. It's a day to remember that heteronormativity is still alive and well in our culture. It's a reminder that people I love and respect and cherish are at risk, that people I don't even know still have reasons to fear. Just because this is one risk that doesn't target me directly, one prejudice that I escape from, it doesn't mean that today doesn't matter to me, too. It's a reminder that I benefit from a privilege and I need to be mindful of that, because the people who are harmed by it are people who matter and are important, whether I know them or not. And we all have to work together for equality. National Coming Out Day is a promise to people: that it does get better, that there's a life beyond secrets and hiding. It's up to all of us to make sure that's a promise that gets fulfilled.
Because, you know what? Today isn't about me.
It's about the millions of people, worldwide, for whom coming out is a struggle, an issue, a danger. It's about the people who have come out already and now face the problems of being 'out' in a society that still doesn't truly accept them. It's about the people who didn't have a chance to come out before they died, either through violence or suicide based simply on their perceived sexuality. It's about the people who have come out and are living happily with their friends and family, accepted and loved.
Except today is about me, too. Because NCOD isn't just about members of the LGBTQQI community. It's a day to remember that heteronormativity is still alive and well in our culture. It's a reminder that people I love and respect and cherish are at risk, that people I don't even know still have reasons to fear. Just because this is one risk that doesn't target me directly, one prejudice that I escape from, it doesn't mean that today doesn't matter to me, too. It's a reminder that I benefit from a privilege and I need to be mindful of that, because the people who are harmed by it are people who matter and are important, whether I know them or not. And we all have to work together for equality. National Coming Out Day is a promise to people: that it does get better, that there's a life beyond secrets and hiding. It's up to all of us to make sure that's a promise that gets fulfilled.