National Coming Out Day

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A Little History Brought to you By Wiki

National Coming Out Day is observed on October 11 by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities and their allies. It is highly encouraged for participants in this movement to wear identifying symbols, such as the pink triangle, the Greek letter lambda, and rainbows, in jewelry and on their clothing, to demonstrate their presence in all walks of life, all ages and all ethnic groups.

The day was founded by Dr. Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary in 1988, in celebration of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights one year earlier, in which 500,000 people marched on Washington, DC, USA, for gay and lesbian equality. National Coming Out Day events are aimed at raising awareness of the LGBT community among the general populace in an effort to give a familiar face to the LGBT rights movement.

In the United States, the Human Rights Campaign manages the event under the National Coming Out Project, offering resources to LGBT individuals, couples, parents and children, as well as straight friends and relatives, to promote awareness of LGBT families living honest and open lives.

Candace Gingrich became the spokesperson for the day in April 1995.

Despite its name, National Coming Out Day is observed worldwide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Coming_Out_Day

And Some info From HRC

 Human Rights Campaign Announces National Coming Out Day 2007 – ‘Talk About It’

8/22/2007

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY 2007 – ‘TALK ABOUT IT’

Celebration of Coming Out and Living Openly Is Also 20th Anniversary of 1987 March on Washington, AIDS Quilt

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, announced today that the theme for National Coming Out Day 2007 will be "Talk About It," continuing the slogan and branding that the national program has been building since 2005.

This year will also mark an important hallmark, as National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, 2007, falls on the 20th anniversary of the 1987 Gay and Lesbian March on Washington, and the unfurling of the AIDS Quilt on the National Mall. National Coming Out Day was celebrated a year to the day later as a way of continuing the spirit of openness, honesty and visibility that the march and the AIDS Quilt presentation inspired.

"Twenty years ago, as the AIDS crisis was raging, coming out was literally a matter of life and death," said Mark Shields, director of HRC’s Coming Out Project. "In many ways, we have come a very long way in a relatively short time, and yet that lesson still resonates deeply today. Coming out and living openly is the most important thing that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight-supportive Americans can do to build lasting understanding and equality."

Today, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of Americans say they personally know or work with someone who identifies as gay or lesbian, according to Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc. In 1987, only 11 percent claimed that they associated with a "male homosexual" on a regular basis, according to ABC News and The Washington Post.

For more information on coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, please visit www.hrc.org/comingout. Additional plans for a national project celebrating National Coming Out Day this year will be announced in mid-September.

Individuals and organizations interested in ordering free Coming Out Kits, which include resource guides, balloons, posters and other materials, can do so at   www.hrc.org/comingoutkits.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

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http://www.hrc.org/6708.htm