National Coming Out Day

Each year on October 11th, many of us celebrate the annual National Coming Out Day (NCOD). Here’s a “Happy National Coming Out Day” to everyone who either has revealed or has plans to reveal their non-heterosexual orientation (aka “coming out” or “coming out of the [non-heterosexual, sexually fluid, or gender fluid] closet”) to the people who are significant in their lives, especially to those individuals who came out on this day in previous years. Someday, the world will no longer need to have such a day. Each individual will be seen and respected for who they are and judged simply by the content of his, her, or their character – not by their skin color, ethnicity, gender, age, or sexual identity/orientation.

Ideally, a person who plans to reveal his or her non-heterosexual identity should have a means of strong, positive, emotional, and psychological support (e.g., a close friend or relative who either is non-heterosexual him/herself or someone who happens to be an LGBTQ+ ally or gay-friendly). Such support is necessary if one has concerns that any reveal of their non-heterosexual identity would have a negative or harmful impact. This advice especially applies to teens and young adults who identify either as non-heterosexual, sexually fluid, or gender fluid and happen to still live at home with their parents or guardians who provide them housing, food, and other means of support. The advice would especially apply to those whose parents or guardians have openly expressed their non-support, non-acceptance, non-tolerance, and perhaps their hatred of or towards non-heterosexual/LGBTQ+ people. If you fit the latter group of such parents or guardians, I encourage you to check out The Trevor Project which may provide some valuable advice and assistance.

If you are not out with your non-heterosexual or sexually fluid or gender fluid identity/orientation and are unsure when, how, or if you will ever make that truth known, don’t worry, you do not have to make it known. Only you will know when it is time and when you believe it is safe and comfortable to step forward. At that moment, you will feel ready, confident, and secure about revealing the truth of your sexual identity without feeling shame or embarrassment. Hopefully, the reception you receive after telling your truth to someone be positive, appreciated, respectful, and loving in nature.

Here are several more reasons why living in the truth of your sexual identity is important:

• Being out with your non-heterosexuality and living in your truth means never having to live in [further] self-misery, shame, or embarrassment.
• No more having to sneak around and/or hide who you’re with, where you go to spend time, or what you say or do concerning the personal and intimate relationships you choose to have with someone of the same gender.
• You won’t have to lie about being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or about anything that’s non-heterosexual or sexually fluid about you.
• The open truth of who you are eliminates having to lie, justify, or even prove to someone about the fluidity of your sexuality.
• Living openly and in the truth of your non-heterosexuality means you’re freer to be the authentic individual that you were always meant to be.

Fortunately, the number of people who don’t much care about the sexuality and/or gender of another person is growing as more people all over the world reveal their non-heterosexual, sexually fluid, or gender-fluid identity to supportive family members, friends, schoolmates, and co-workers. Much of that growth is attributed to the increasing number of heterosexual/straight people who are becoming more educated, understanding, patient, and even tolerant about non-heterosexuality, human sexuality itself, and the fluidity that naturally exists within.

Several coming-out testimonies and stories are available on YouTube and other social media video platforms. On an internet browser’s search engine or a social media network’s search window, enter “coming out”. The search will yield links to numerous websites, blogs, videos, and social media networks where someone is either giving coming-out advice, sharing a personal coming-out story, or providing a link and/or phone number for coming-out support. On social media networks like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), the hashtags #comingout and #coming_out will also provide links to that content.

[S/N: No one, regardless of their own heterosexual or non-heterosexual identity or orientation, has the right to “out” anyone nor force or coerce any [closeted] non-heterosexual person to reveal his or her true sexual identity or orientation!]

There is great indisputable truth that LGBTQ+ people are legion! We are indeed everywhere! Whomever you are, whatever you do, and wherever you go, always be you and the genuine sexy-confident, and wonderful person that you are always meant to be.

Again, Happy National Coming Out Day! //⚤//

– RobFather