Happy Day!
By: Gary Hollander - Posted on: 10/10/2005

Hats off to all of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender fire fighters and police officers in Wisconsin who are out to their co-workers, friends, and families. Cheers to the LGBT clergy and health care workers who have told folks about who they love. A special shout out to those maintenance and office workers who have decided not to hide the pictures of their loved ones from the people with whom they work and play.

Decisions to disclose our sexual identity come for most of us on a weekly – if not daily – basis. For many who read this, the decisions are quite easy because we have made a major choice to be out where ever we are so the smaller choices simply follow our own earlier decision. For others, the smaller choices are each taken with great deliberation. They must consider the well-being of their children, their spouse or partner.

But, given the hostilities and biases in our current society, the large and small decisions are all acts of courage.
Congratulations to all who make them. Or even contemplate them.

National Coming Out Day reminds each lesbian, gay man, bisexual man or woman, and transgender person that we get to show up as we are, not as who we are painted to be. We get to be visibly pleased with our selves, each other, and our communities.

Research shows that the harassment and discrimination we face individually and as a community affect our evaluations of our selves and each other. This negativity, or low self-esteem, then mediates our ability to take care of our selves by avoiding health risks of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse. It increases our sexual risk behaviors.

So, coming out as we are is a powerful statement to ourselves that we are whole, healthy, and strong.

Happy day to us all!