Happy National Coming Out Day!

Today, Oct. 11, is National Coming Out Day.

Coming out is, for some people, a very scary process, especially if you are coming out to family or friends. For someone to come out to another person as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered (heck, even unknown!), it takes a lot of courage. However, for us to be honest with those we say we care about, it's a necessary step.

Think for a moment, how many times a day do you have an opportunity to talk about your life and those in it? How many times have you been asked, are you married, what did you do this weekend, are you dating anyone? How many times have you filled out a form and seen the options, married, single, or divorced? I've never seen "none of the above," have you? There's probably at least one instance every day that we have an opportunity to mention something personal about ourselves. Could you imagine not talking about your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband in everyday conversation? Try it sometime. Try to deliberately not speak of anything that would let someone know you are straight. That's what it feels like for us.

Being gay and not coming out to those we love is hard. We're scared you guys won't love us anymore or might judge us. If someone tells you they're gay, they've just taken a huge step in trusting you and they're being honest so they won't have to put anymore walls up. For someone to tell you they are gay is a badge of honor. It means you are a good enough person and important enough to us that we want to be open and trust you with something so personal and vital to our being that we can no longer keep it a secret.

As our ally, all we ask is that you honor the trust we've placed in you. That you "come out," as well, as our ally. That you speak openly and honestly about having gay family, friends, and/or coworkers. If you don't know something, ask. If you're unsure about something, ask. We need you. We love you. And we're thankful to have you in our corner.