OMAHA, NE – As many of you already know, National Coming Out Day is a day that is observed internationally and celebrated by people who identify as LGBTQ. The term coming out is when you publicly acknowledge your sexual orientation or gender identity as a member of the LGBT Community. NCOD was founded in 1988.

While the term is very much connected to sexual orientation and gender identity, I hope people recognize that it encompasses a broader spectrum of people coming into their own as individuals, like people telling their religious circle of friends and family that they have atheist views. While the author of the atheist article disagrees, I think the idea of “coming out of the closet” is one of the LGBT Community’s little contributions to mainstream society. Like St Patrick’s Day and the partying associated with it was once just an Irish thing, St Patrick’s has become a day people of all ethnicities and races now celebrate. Of course this would give new meaning to bigots coming out of the closet. 😀

Speaking of coming out, in the United States, a lengthy and growing list of celebrities have come out of the closet, helping to shape society’s views of people who admit their sexuality. Celebrities coming out also helps demonstrate to those afraid to come out that its okay to be gay, they are proud of who they are, and that even people with money and power have to deal with their own sexual identity.