Life

Here’s how queer people are celebrating National Coming Out Day on social media

Wilson Cruz, Kamala Harris, Chris Mosier and many others are celebrating today with tales of courage and caution.
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Gay couple of boys hanging out with Smatphone in the city of Madrid
Photo: Shutterstock

It’s National Coming Out Day — as if you didn’t know — so we dropped in on a handful of notable and everyday queer people to see how they’re commemorating coming out in 2019.

Let’s take a look.

Related: Everlast features trans pro-boxer’s powerful coming out story in groundbreaking ad

First, here’s a collection of tweets. The groundbreaking trans women of color drama, Pose:

Feminist freelance journalist Lauren Duca:

A trans Latinx person sharing their story with presidential candidate Kamala Harris:

Gay Latinx actor Wilson Cruz:

Gay screenwriter Dustin Lance Black:

The National Center for Transgender Equality:

Gay bobsledder Simon Dunn:

Trans people – including Laverne Cox and Peppermint – sharing their stories with the ACLU:

Trans woman and dancer, Stella:

Trans athlete Chris Mosier:

And here are a handful of folks celebrating on Instagram:

Showtime sharing different people’s coming out experiences:

Actress and author Roselyn Sanchez celebrating how sports bring people together:

Makeup artist, Rose Shock, weeping the colors of the non-binary flag:

Brooklyn-based botanist, Plant Kween, expressing appreciation for their accepting family:

View this post on Instagram

I came out to myself as a young child, I knew that I was different, special, extraordinary … but at that time I did not have access to the language or words to fully describe how I was feeling, what I was experiencing, who I was attracted to, and how I yearned to transgress those tragic gender norms we are taught as children 💁🏽‍♀️💗💁🏽‍♂️💙 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In my junior year of high school I came out to a group of best friends, who accepted me for who I always was and gave me the courage to come out to my parents. I came out to my father first, who hugged me as I cried and told me that he loved me to matter what. I came out to my mother later that evening. She hugged me and said that if anyone tried to bully me that they’d better watch out, because they’d have to deal with her. I would later come out to my brothers who told me that they had my back no matter what. I’ve been out ever since and never looked back ❤️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ To exist unapologetically queer and femme amongst my family, amongst my parents is something that I cherish and will never take for granted. I am truly blessed to have the supportive, accepting and loving family that I have … and I hope to continue to advocate, to educate why this reality should be the norm 🏳️‍🌈 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Happy #NationalComingOutDay kweens!!! 🌈

A post shared by C H R I S T O P H E R 🌱 (@plantkween) on

Florida-based actor and father, Ben Ptashinsky, giving advice and showing his family:

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It’s #nationalcomingoutday. You might ask why that’s important? When you live your truth, you’re a free soul. You aren’t burdened with the weight of whatever it is you are hiding… . . I made the decision, when I started this account, that I would use my platform for good… . . Make sure you're comfortable and ready to come out. It's a step that should be taken when you're ready. There is often a sense of relief and a reduction of tension when one stops trying to deny or hide such an important part of his/her life. Coming out can lead to greater freedom of self-expression, positive sense of self and more healthy and honest relationships… . . This picture is my healthiest and most honest relationship. This is my family. My amazingly supportive husband and my reason to live, my daughter… . . My life was enriched by coming out. I know I stay private on here, but if this platform can change just one life, then I’ve made the right decision.

A post shared by Ben Ptashinsky (@equityben) on

Married couple, Evelin and Clara, sharing their love:

Pansexual, gender-fluid queer and Toronto-based makeup artist, Miss Obscure:

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Happy #NationalComingOutDay 🌈 I only ever came out once, in high school. With all my friends one day; We all came out as Bisexual (as did all emo kids at that time lol) When Dez and I stated dating/got engaged, I just told my family we were together. Nothing more nothing less. I was met with lots of positivity and love and some just really didn't know what to think at the time. And because of Dez, I've discovered so much more about my identity than I realized and I'm still realizing things every day. As of right now I identify as a Pansexual Genderfuild Queer…. or to make it simple for people Super Duper Queer🕺🏻🕺🏻 Whatever you identify as, live your life to the fullest and with a full heart. Life is way too short to hide who you really are. And your rainbow family is waiting for you ❤🧡💛💚💙💜 #queer #dragqueen #genderfluid

A post shared by Ashley Regnier (Ren-YAY) (@miss_obscure) on

Portland, Oregon-based hubbies and travel couple Michael and Matt sharing their story of parental support:

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Happy #NationalComingOutDay 🌈 And we are so glad we did. Coming out allowed us to stop hiding, live as our true selves, and find the most important thing in life — LOVE. . when it comes down to it we just need to make decisions that are best for ourselves. . We came out six years ago, and we are still unpacking it. Growing up as gay men in a straight unaccepting world is traumatic. It takes time to unravel the damage and to work through the years of pain and self hate. Coming out was the greatest leap of faith we’ve ever took, because we did so believing that it would finally set us free. . This is important. When we got married, our mom (on Michael’s side) gave a speech that truly spoke to both of us. In it she said, “And Matthew being brave enough to do his coming out story helped Mike to do that. Who knows all the times that these two went through that were tough, I mean super tough, but they held it together. And they believed in themselves. And there’s nothing greater than that. The only person you can be, the best that you can be, is who God made you to be. And God makes no mistakes.” . A reminder to us all that we are the best versions of ourselves. We are strong. We are survivors. And we are enabling others to find their freedom by willing freedom for ourselves. The journey doesn’t end at coming out. It’s not spoken about often, and we may like to think that coming out fixes everything, but if you’re like me, then you’ve still struggled with the trauma you experienced while in the closet. I want to say that it’s okay to not feel okay, to not be 100%, and to still be working through things. I used to think that coming out was the end point of working through my sexuality, but I’ve been realizing that it was only the beginning of my story. ❤️ #comingout

A post shared by Michael + Matt (@michaelandmatt) on

Poliglot and Jonathan Hohler presenting his supportive Rottweiler:

Self-described “goddess” and “dazzle fairy,” Kara Conway, showing off some rainbow-tinged glasses:

Manny Salazar, celebrating their supportive fam and the difficulty of coming out:

Instagrammer, Jorge, on how coming out can positively impact others:

Gay travel couple, John & Ryan, acknowledging how not everyone can come out:

In 1978, Harvey Milk famously said:

Gay brothers and sisters, you must come out. Come out to your parents. I know that it is hard and will hurt them, but think about how they will hurt you in the voting booth! Come out to your relatives. Come out to your friends, if indeed they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors, to your fellow workers, to the people who work where you eat and shop. Come out only to the people you know, and who know you, not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths. Destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake.

If he were alive today, we imagine he’d apply his message to LGBTQ people of all sorts as well, while recognizing that some folks should come out only when they safely can.

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American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Chris Mosier Dustin Lance Black Kamala Harris National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) Pose

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