CINCINNATI — People across Greater Cincinnati and the country recognize National Coming Out Day on Wednesday, Oct. 11 amid a flurry of legislation deemed anti-LGBTQ and an increase in threats against and attacks on that community.
It stands as an open discussion on the journey of self-discovery and acceptance LGBTQ+ people experience, as well as a chance to widely share resources for those who may not be as far along on the journey.
"It's very important for us to recognize that we can do this now, we can come out and say, 'This is me, this is who I am,'" said Kelsey, who highlights Cincinnati's LGBTQ+ events on social media as @midwesternlesbian.
She came out on National Coming Out Day in 2014.
The day's recognition started on Oct. 11, 1988 — the one-year anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Jean O’Leary, Dr. Robert Eichberg and the National Coming Out Day organization put it together. In 1993, the organization merged with the Human Rights Campaign Fund to become what is known today as the Human Rights Campaign.
Every coming out story is unique.
"I, just like so many of our other LGBTQ family members, was contemplating suicide. And so before actually going through with it, I thought, I'm going to call one of my cousins and if he rejects me, I'm going to end it," said Jaasiel Chapman, who came out in his mid-20s. "And thankfully, as you see, I'm sitting here now. He didn't reject me."
Others, like Britton Spitler, don't have a defined coming out moment.
"I didn't get the opportunity to come out," he said. "I was a ballet dancer and people made fun of me a lot because I have a higher voice for a guy so people just labeled me the token gay guy in this rural high school."
Though the stories and reactions of those around them differ, all three agree that coming out is an individual choice and a freeing one.
You can hear parts of Kelsey, Jaasiel, and Britton's stories in the video player below.
If you are looking for resources on National Coming Out Day — or any day — there is a Coming Out Support Hotline available. A Coming Out Handbook is available online from The Trevor Project to answer questions and share resources.
