National Coming Out Day

I've written about my feelings on Colombus Day before.

So today I'm going to write about National Coming Out Day, which is also today.
This is a great day for people to come out as being Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Queer, but it's also a great day for those of us who are allies to the GLBTQ community to announce our support.

Given the recent spate of suicides as a result of anti-gay bullying, it's more important than ever for those of us who support civil rights and equal treatment for GLBTQ individuals to stand up and speak out. We have to make the world a more open and accepting place, where we celebrate the amazing diversity of humanity. People come in different shapes, colors, sizes and sexual expressions. Instead of trying to supress that, we should rejoice in it. Variation, evolutionarily speaking, is what makes a species strong. It also makes us more interesting. We all have different talents and perspectives to bring to the table. That's how we accomplish the work of civilization.

I want to raise my children in a world where everyone comes out, because heterosexuality isn't assumed to be the default. Or a world where no one does, because it's not a big deal. A world where the fact that someone's gay is part of their identity, and history, yes, but where it doesn't have to be the defining part of their identity. A world where openly queer people can live anywhere they like without fearing violence simply for being who they are and loving who they love. A world where we can all say "I am what I am, and what I am needs no excuses", regardless of our creeds, our colors, our genders, or our sexualities.