Today is the 28th annual National (LGBT) Coming out Day.  So, as a bisexual male you could call me “queer,” and you’d be correct.  That’s OK.  The fact is I used up most of my “coming out’ anxiety as I went through the process of losing my vision to a degenerative eye disease.  Coming out?  Been there, done that.  Don’t get your undies in a bunch, we’ll all get through this.

So, why come out again?  Fact is, as we all come to recognize LGBT rights as civil rights, there are still many who struggle with letting go of outdated beliefs and expectations.  We’re unlikely to be able to work through the fears that underlie anti-LGBT positions held by some politicians and some organizational leaders as long as we’re thought of as “others, outsiders, them, etc.”  Leaders most often mirror the hopes, fears, and anxieties of those they represent.  So, National Coming Out day is a reminder to stand up, stand out, and represent.  It’s also a day to stand up and extend a hand to those who (LGBT or not) might benefit from knowing we are here.

I’ll close here with a couple of quotes that help keep me balanced:

• “I am what I am, and that’s all that I am.” (Popeye)
• “We are each of us broken, and yet, we are all whole persons.” (Dan Lococo)

For more information about National Coming Out day go to: http://www.hrc.org/resources/national-coming-out-day