National Coming Out Day
Hey y’all.
I usually stay away from “serious” stuff in this blog because why would you come to a porn review site for serious shit? That would be like going to see a romantic comedy and they end up talking about, like, euthanasia and whether or not cloning is ethical. But today is National Coming Out Day, and that goes hand in hand with gay porn (in…some way; I mean, there has to be more than just the gay factor that relates the two) so I’m goin’ serious today, folks.
It’s been about 6 years that I’ve been completely out. My coming out process was kind of a five-year long ordeal (that’s how long it took me to come out to all four parents), but when I told that last parent, I considered myself out. Out and proud, in fact. It was like telling that last parent was like removing a chain from around my neck and as cliched as it might sound, I felt free to be me. Sure, there have been instances where I’ve felt unsafe about my sexuality–walking around downtown at night holding hands with a boy always makes me feel a little anxious–I don’t let it stop me from being an out and proud gay man. If someone chooses to beat me down for being a homo, that…well, that would suck, for sure. But two things: 1) if I go down, I’m going down fighting and 2) if I go down, I’m going down a proud homosexual and I’ll never stop declaring myself as such.
Recently in the news there’s been a lot of discussion about LGBTQ kids and suicide stemming from bullying. Honestly, I can’t think of anything more tragic (and if it were an African-American being bullied for being black, a woman being bullied for being a female, or a smart kid being bullied for being a nerd, I would feel the same sense of empathy). Y’all, stuff like this needs to stop and not just because today is National Coming Out Day. But yourself in these people’s shoes: if you were being bullied for your greatest insecurity, how would that make you feel? If someone taped you in the middle of some indiscretion you wouldn’t want the world to see, how would you react?
Today is a day for pride, not just for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community (plus the Allies, the Asexual, the Intersex and the whole bowl of alphabet soup). Today is a day of pride for everyone. It’s National Coming Out Day, not National Gay Day. Come out as a nerd. Come out as a bitch. Come out as a theatre geek. Come out as a strong, opinionated woman. Come out as a furry. Come out as a sensitive man. However you come out, come out as proud of who you are and support your fellow humans for being who they are.
“There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.” – Anthony Rapp
-Stephen
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