Coming Out Day takes place annually on 11 October. A safe day for everyone who needs it. Still, there are some things to note about this day. The question is whether it all has to be on this day and whether the day is still so safe. Is the world still so understanding and open to acceptance and emancipation?
It was 11 October 2023, which was the date I first published this article. Now, I could have changed the title because its content has changed. In the original article, I stressed the importance of the day and the safety of this day for anyone to say anything about sexual orientation or gender identity. The question is whether all this is still so.
By 2023, the world had already changed significantly from roughly two years earlier. The rise of the radical and far-right has caused a lot of change. Not in a good sense. What good comes from a rise of the radical and extreme right?
On the other hand, we should not blame everything on the rise of the radical and far-right. What about religious movements and groups? Let’s not forget the radical feminists, either. Then there is another group within the LGBT+ community itself, which believes that the community itself is better off without some of the community. This mainly relates to gender identity. Yet the latter group is dwarfed by the groups named earlier. Indeed, their influence has grown bigger and bigger in recent years. Well, at least since the publication of this article in 2023.
What has also changed is the way this day is viewed. Why is this day there, and why should this day only be limited to just one day in the year? It should be a given that you can speak freely about your sexual orientation and/or gender identity at any time.
The criticism on the day is easy to guess. From the right and religious movements, it is about the familiar takes. Imposition, indoctrination, about how children fall prey to grooming. The radical feminists add that trans women are also in danger. Recall that for radical feminists, protecting women’s rights these days consists only of erasing transgender people, especially trans girls and women.
Criticism from the community
There is also criticism from the LGBT+ community, and you might not readily think this. It is not about representing or not representing individuals. It is about this day being there mainly for the outside world. So for others than the community itself. To show that the community is allowed to be there on this day. That a day later it is or can be completely different. This is a valid point, because why should disclosure be limited to just one day? Besides, why is there this day when nothing is being done to improve emancipation in this regard anyway? Or at least improve safety?
Criticism from detractors
Yet it is the criticism of detractors that prevails. It should be a day when you are allowed to tell the world something. Note, it may, it doesn’t have to. It could also take place on any other day in the year. That’s just not the case for some people. Hence, Coming Out Day. So a safe day for all who need it.
Why is there no day for heterosexuals?
Why is there no special day when you can declare that you are straight?
Isn't this just indoctrination?
It's all being forced upon us.
Can't it be less?
The above statements are just a few examples of reactions you may come across on social media or under articles discussing this day. Not just about this day. Actually, about any special day related to the LGBT+ community. It is precisely because of such statements that certain (special) days must exist. Then there is still the question of why coming out should be limited to just one day in the year. That moment need not be limited.
Does a day like Coming Out Day help? For some, it will indeed be a necessity. For others, and I don’t mean detractors, it is precisely a time to be critical. Why is this day there, when the day after it is impossible? Where are the protective words the day after? Where is the kindness the day after tomorrow? Besides, a common statement like Love is Love has now been used too often. There is more than that. Much more!
Het is geen vanzelfsprekendheid
Unfortunately, it is not a given. No matter how much it is wanted. The fact that someone lets something be known does not imply that society is ready for it. One part is, another part will oppose it. That is the rock-hard reality. An absurd reality, when you think about it. In other cases, we are forced to go along with what others think is “normal” or what others want based on their religion, political beliefs or just because it has been that way for so long. On that basis, people are discriminated against, people are beaten up, and people are not allowed to love or tell what their gender identity is. When you think about it, who is indoctrinating and imposing?
So it is not a given, this acceptance and emancipation. A day like today is part of a broader whole. That whole consists of total acceptance and emancipation. Unfortunately, since the writing of the first version of this article, some aspects of that are getting worse. Since 2023, the world has been introduced to new heads of government who have been clear in their views on LGBT people. Hence, this article had to be updated. What has not changed is the history of this day. After all, where exactly did Coming Out Day come from?
Origin of Coming Out Day
The origins of Coming Out Day can be traced back to an event that took place on 11 October 1987. That was the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. In this rally, a protest march, 500,000 people participated. It took place in the US capital (Washington DC). There was a demonstration against a federal Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court had ruled that it was justifiable to ban homosexual acts. The march would culminate in an annual day of commemoration. Later, this would be complemented by the desire to be able to tell in openness who you are, what you are or what you want to be. So sexual orientation and gender identity. The day took on an international character.
Should this day exist? Actually no! It should be perfectly normal, only it is not. So as long as it is not normal, this day can be a safe day for everyone who needs it. There should never be any restrictions. In addition, there should never be restrictions when it comes to acceptance and emancipation.
