Sunday, October 11, 2015

National Coming Out Day


There was a time when coming out of the closet was relatively rare. It is still an act that requires courage, especially for young people who may have realistic fears of being thrown out of their homes or abused in other ways. Fortunately things are getting better -- but there is still much to be done.

Consider that half a century after the landmark civil rights legislation of the 1960s, America is still a land where racism and fear can thrive in human hearts and minds, where it can be a major factor in the political process. There is still much to be done.

I came out to different people over a period of decades, quite literally. To some members of my religious community as far back as 1980, to other friends soon after, to family much later. In recent years I find I do not need to come out. I simply live as who I am and people catch on. And I would say that 99% of them who do catch on, accept and move on. It is not much of an issue. And I live in a small town in the rural Midwest. My elected delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives is a gay man, and one of my U.S. senators is a lesbian. Much has changed, though much remains to be done.

May peace, fullness of life, love and harmony come to us all, to all peoples of all nations, to all peoples of all faiths, to all peoples of all languages, to all people. Because that's the bottom line -- we are all people. The darkest closet is the one that keeps us from recognizing that about one another.

2 comments:

Moving with Mitchell said...

All day today, I've been trying to remember why the date is so familiar. Thanks for setting me straight... I mean, gaily forward! Interestingly, spending 9-1/2 weeks in New York was a reminder to me of how far the USA still has to go in terms of respect and acceptance. Still, it's important to consider how much things HAVE changed since I came out, like you, more than 30 years ago.

John Going Gently said...

I raise a glass to anyone who is about to come out
It takes guts
Cheers to you all