National coming out day

[countrygirl]

Today is national coming out day. I want to know will anyone be coming out today?

[IleneD]

I already have to a select few.
I'd love to do it again today if I had an appropriate person with whom to reveal my crossdressing/ transgenderism.

[Majella St Gerard]

I've been out and I'm loving it.

[IleneD]

I borrowed this from Senior Chief Kristin Beck's (the Navy SEAL trans woman).
Love Kris and love her post.

Today is #NationalComingOutDay
Thank you HRC for pushing ideas and fighting for our RIGHTS. HRC Utah HRC Arizona HRC Alabama HRC Charlotte HRC Nashville HRC - Las Vegas Greater Cincinnati HRC
Just remember that Coming Out is not a requirement or an AWARD.
COME OUT if you are in a safe place and even if it is just to one person, thats fine.
This is your life and your journey...

The Roller Coaster in my CLOSET
by Kristin Beck (2014)

I grew up in the 60s and 70s and was told that certain things were never to be talked about in public. I was told things were kept private. I was told about a “closet” as a place to hide. That "closet" in the 60s became the standard symbol for the Gay and Lesbian community as a place they lived and someday they would gain enough “courage" or support to "come out" to the world. Now 50 years later that closet is still used and a place where many of us live. We even have a “coming out” day where we celebrate people exiting a closet and entering the world. I think the closet as a metaphor and everything about it sucks.
Now hold on to your seats and don’t jump to conclusions on me too fast, but I think this whole idea of a closet is wrong. I think this idea of a closet is getting people killed and creating suicide in our community. Listen to my ideas and then make your judgement with or against my thoughts.
The old closet that we are forced to live within is a small room with one door. In this closet we are isolated, alone, tired, hungry, afraid, sad, angry…. did I say we are ALONE? And the scariest thing is the one door that opens up onto “main street.” Yes, It opens out onto Main Street; a world of ignorance, prejudice and bigotry. A world where our parents will throw us onto the streets as QUEER teenagers to fend for ourselves. A door that opens up to the entire world to judge us. Yes, Main Street is full of bullies and violence and even death to those of us who are different.
The differences can be color, religion, gender, sexual orientation and many other things. The differences are vast and many of us are targeted on the spot for being different. The most violent and in the news most often is the LGBTQ community. Its a scary Main Street especially if you are like me…. a dude in a dress that is judged on appearance and beaten up and name called on sight. I was beaten down by four guys on a street in Tampa Florida; I was unconscious with four guys kicking me in the head.

The idea of a “closet” and “coming out” from that small isolated room onto the world is wrong.

I made the mistake myself of living in that closet and coming out. I was a US Navy SEAL with a beard and a job in the Pentagon and the next day “coming out” into the world in a dress walking down the halls of the Pentagon. No preparation and no idea what I was doing. I had no support and no help. I lost family, friends, jobs and I was wearing all the wrong clothes and my make up was a mess. The point is I did it wrong because that little closet and coming out of it was the only thing I thought could be done. Stay isolated and live in fear and agony and never really live or come out into the world. IT WAS ONE OR THE OTHER. Being forced to make one or the other choice sometimes give us no choice or a violent choice to ourselves.
We should get rid of the idea of a closet.

That closet is wrong and a death sentence to many of us. The closet needs to be replaced with a GREAT ROOM with a couch and a big screen TV and an Xbox.
We invite people in and share our lives. The coolest thing is you can invite anyone or no one and you can build that room how ever you want. I kind of opened that room to my best friend in 1982 and then a few other friends then some family members. But then the closet idea and the world became a thing. I sometimes wish I just had that Great Room with my select friends and family.

That Great Room can get bigger and bigger and we bring in more couches and add a swimming pool with one of those really cool slides. This room is awesome.
IN the great room you can talk about all kinds of stuff. We are helping each other figure out who we are and we find out how awesome each of us really can be and become. We are living with no limits and no boundaries. There is no ignorance or prejudice because we are in a room together and supporting each other.
The room gets so big and we are all supporting each other that the walls seem to disappear and most of the world is in that room with me and you.
In this room we have time to grow with our “differences” and learn to be comfortable with yourself and others. We understand tolerance and respect in its truest form. We learn to love ourselves even with our differences; With that love we can now love others and treat everyone with dignity, respect and fairness.
Living in a closet is the worst place to be and that idea of a closet is the worst idea we could pass on to next generations.
WE need to have more choices than a closet or main Street.

That small closet needs to go away and be replaced by a GREAT ROOM or Central Park with all my friends and maybe even a roller coaster.
-Kristin Beck

https://www.facebook.com/valor4us/posts/1674118092640802?pnref=story

[Lana Mae]

Not planned so far! Other things are planned for today! I am out to those who need to know and a few others! Hugs Lana Mae

[Rachael Leigh]

Well I’m fully out at work as I work as myself now so other than social media not planning on anything different today.
Maybe next year I will come out on social media
Rachael

[Allisa]

I'm out every day for all to see.I believe one day a year is seen by the general public as a "public stunt" and then all back in the closet to be forgotten about, needless to say I'll be out and about doing whatever needs to be done so my support for others is just being me and being seen on a daily basis although their concept of me may not be of a trans person but that of a sexual orientation statement I don't care anymore I'm going to be me no matter what others think, I'm always open to answer questions from the uninformed but it is rare that anyone asks being afraid to be politically incorrect and maybe catching what ever I've got.

[Alyssa Lane]

Ya even at work this is all advertised on our message board. And seeing the ol interwebs its also International day of the girl.
As for letting anyone else know I dress often, I don't think I will be doing that today other then on here.

[Pat]

The day exists for people who benefit from having a special day.( Some people like to plan. I admire them, but I'm chaotic) some people like knowing that there'll probably be a news item about it that can "grease the skids." It's a valid thing but not the only thing. HRC always focuses on you being ready and comfortable coming out -- it's not a day of peer pressure.

[Fiona123]

Me! Me! See my post.

[patti1569]

Started coming out three years ago! Didn't come out to anyone new today, but love the feeling of opening up and letting people know this part of my life. The biggest one was my sister about a year and a half ago. My biggest regret is not telling my mother. She asked me just before she died and I denied it. Obviously she knew, but still wish I had opened up to her about it.

[Sometimes Steffi]

It's nice to know that there's a National Coming Out Day. I might want to use it sometime, but not this year.

But I thought that there was a lot of great info on the hrc site.