October 11: Today is National Coming Out Day!!
Today, October 11, is National Coming Out Day (NCOD), an internationally observed civil awareness day founded in 1988 (by Robert Eichberg), celebrating individuals who publicly identify as bisexual, gay, lesbian or transgender. Coming out regarding one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity is akin to a cultural rite of passage for LGBT people.
Also our cantor Juval Porat will incorporate a little surprise in to Shabbat services tonight in honor of national coming out day.
As many of us know, coming out is one of the most difficult and personal decisions a person can ever make-fraught for so many who fear not only discrimination, injustice and violence from strangers, but that friends, family, and loved ones may turn their backs on them.
This summer, when the U.S. Supreme Court announced the historic decisions in the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 cases, we saw Facebook go red in an incredible campaign of solidarity. One of the most powerful aspects of the campaign was the magnitude of support we all saw from the unexpected and unlikely. It underscored a groundswell we often don’t realize exists, and National Coming Out Day seems like a perfect time for a much-needed reminder.
This National Coming Out Day, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, who work to achieve LGBT equality through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education, start a new kind of social-media campaign to show those who are either coming out or are considering coming out the volume of support they have in each of us-whether you’re a member of the LGBT community or an ally.
The campaign is titled “Coming out? I’m cool with that” and in order to support those who struggle to come out, these are the only words that show on the images designed by the organization to replace the Facebook/Twitter profile images, in order to support those who struggle coming out.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
Download the “Coming out? I’m cool with that” images—a timeline picture, profile picture, and cover picture—from the bottom of this page or from the the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Facebook album. To do so, go to each image, click ‘Options’ in the lower right corner, then click ‘Download,’ and then save the image to your desktop.
After you’ve downloaded the images, change your Facebook profile image and cover image, and share the timeline image with one of the draft Facebook posts:
- I’m changing my profile picture to show my support for family, friends, and anyone else considering coming out on National Coming Out Day October 11th. Coming Out? I’m #CoolWithThat. #NCOD
- I want my friends and family to know that if any of you are considering coming out on National Coming Out Day I’m #CoolWithThat #NCOD
- Let’s show support for anyone considering coming out. Let’s change our profile pics and cover images so anyone struggling with the decisions knows that you’re #CoolWithThat #NCOD
- This National Coming Out Day, I’m letting the people in my life know if they want to come out, I’m #CoolWithThat #NCOD
You can also change your Twitter profile picture with the profile image, and use one of the below draft tweets:
- Coming Out? I’m Cool With That. #CoolWithThat #NCOD
- Join me and let the people in your life know you’re #CoolWithThat if they decide to come out on National Coming Out Day #NCOD
- This National Coming Out Day, I’m letting the people in my life know if they want to come out, I’m #CoolWithThat #NCOD
- I want my friends and family to know that if any of you are considering coming out on National Coming Out Day I’m #CoolWithThat #NCOD
