National Coming Out Day has been something I have witnessed for a few years now, and though I support the idea behind it, I have come to realize I am not a huge fan of the day in general.
I am all for the idea that we have a day where anyone who wants to come out and has felt ready to come out can and will be greeted with mostly open arms. The concept of a nationwide acceptance of members of the LGBT community is a great concept and a great thing in practice. This concept is not what bothers me. What bothers me is the expectation that anyone who is a member of the LGBTQ community must come out. This concept behind the day bothers me greatly.
Nobody is required to come out publicly. Nobody is required to announce to the world their sexuality and/or identity. Nobody is entitled to the knowledge of someone's sexuality for identity. If a person so chooses, they can live their whole life in the closet. Closet doors are not required to open for people in the LGBTQ community. No straight person is required to explain they sexuality for identity to people on social media or in person, so why do we have an entire day dedicated to requiring members of the LGBTQ community to explain theirs?
National Coming Out Day is not a bad thing. It is a good way to let members of the LGBTQ community know that coming out is acceptable. But to expect these individuals to come out on a day assigned to them is unnecessary.
Coming out is a personal decision from every person individually, and nobody is required to explain their sexuality or identity on an assigned day. It is always a personal decision an individual must come to on their own.
