Friday 11-10-2024 - 13:00

Hi all, today is 11th October, which marks National Coming Out Day, an important day in the queer calendar, as it’s a day to celebrate the strength of those living openly and proudly, whilst highlighting adversities LGBTQIA+ people are faced with. To understand where this day originated from, let’s have a brief history lesson.  

 

On 11th October,1987, around 750,000 people marched in Washington DC to protest for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The protest was organised by Steve Ault and Joyce Hunter, as a response to major events that threatened LGBTQIA+ people’s rights. At this time in history, there was an ongoing AIDS pandemic which was characterised by stigma, fear and misinformation of the disease, which consequently led to discrimination against gay men. Additionally, Ronald Reagan’s administration board failed to recognise the AIDS pandemic and its impact on individual lives. To protest against the Supreme Court, AIDS activists participated in the protest and ensured they were visible in the march, as well as the advocacy group ACT UP gaining national coverage for the first time. The movement was branded an overall success and was labelled ‘The Great March’ due to its historical importance. The impact of this march was so significant that by 1990, it was recognised by all fifty states and internationally. To commemorate this pivotal event, the first National Coming Out Day was celebrated on October 11th,1988, as many viewed openly expressing a queer identity to friends, family and colleagues was activism at its core.  

 

Now I’ve explored where National Coming Out Day originated from, let’s look at some statistics of queer people living in the UK. In 2022, it was recorded by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that an estimated 3.3% of the population aged 16 years and over, identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual. The 2021 Consensus shows that in England and Wales, 262,000 people (0.5%) identified with a gender different than their assigned gender, including trans and non-binary identities. In total, that’s over 2 million people, which has most likely increased in the years since the recorded statistics, as more people explore their identities and make the decision to come out.  

 

 

The act of coming out is extremely personal and should be on your own terms, meaning there is no rush to declare your identity to others if that doesn’t feel right or safe for you. For some queer people, coming out offers feelings of liberation, pride and the opportunity to connect with a community of people like themselves. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for all queer people. Stonewall found that only 46% of lesbian, gay and bisexual people and 47% of trans people felt they could be open to their families about their sexual orientation or gender identity. Hopefully, through representation of queer people in the media and more awareness of LGBTQIA+ community being raised by charities, people will begin to open their minds to the idea of queer identities and accepting their loved one for who they are. 

 

 

I identify as a bisexual woman, and I came out in November 2018, I was 13 years old at the time. I first became aware of this sexual orientation when a high school friend confided in me that she felt she may be bisexual, and she explained to me what that meant. As soon as I heard how she defined bisexual, it was as if I’d found a missing piece of me- it was love at first sight! I can recall falling asleep one night so enthused by the idea of this new identity and feeling whole again. This realisation came at a time when I’d lost so much confidence in myself, and I wanted to bury all the things about me that made me feel different. I didn’t feel that way about my sexuality, I didn’t feel shame, but because it’d cast a light on a part of me, I hadn’t met before, I didn’t want anyone to dim my experience of it by judging me. This led to me telling a select number of people I trusted, including my mum who was so supportive, non-judgmental and compassionate. Now, I’m incredibly open about being bisexual (hence writing this blog) and I even got the colours of the Bi flag tattooed on my body! Despite feeling pride when I was younger, I wouldn’t have openly told a stranger I was bisexual or go to queer events. In 2023, I went to Manchester Pride Parade for the first time which was incredible, and in August myself and my fiancé walked in Brighton Pride Parade! Having a partner who celebrates me for all I am helps me to feel more connected to my queerness and proud of how far I’ve come. 

 

 

Happy National Coming Out Day!