Happy National Coming Out Day… Give me a Break

Yes this is another one of those posts that won’t win me any Lesbian of the Year awards… but here we go.

Yesterday as I was doing my daily twitter perusal (oh yeah Follow Me) I saw a new trending topic on twitter that made my eyebrow raise. Happy National Coming Out Day

*blink* *blink* really Happy National Coming Out Day.. are you serious?

My single tweet from yesterday pretty much sums up my feelings about it, and if you think I have a little bit more explaining to do after you can always read more…

Now before you get riled up I am all about LGBT pride and coming out… (like a good doily dyke) but “Happy National Coming Out Day” not so much.

It just seems like another term to trivialize the process of coming out which for many was not happy but very painful, very solemn, and left many very alone. From the tweets and the facebook statuses that I read over the day I think there is a large misconception by mainstream culture and US TOO about what National Coming Out Day is.

So with that let me tell you what National Coming Out Day (screw the happy part) ISN’T

– IT IS NOT the day that all the closeted members of the LGBT community have to call their friends and loved ones and say “Hey mom, I’m gay!” for fear of being called “not gay enough”.

– IT IS NOT LGBT Christmas or Easter or Halloween so there is no National Coming Out Day Santa… no hunting for NCD eggs… and hopefully no ill fitting Rainbow Brite costumes.

– IT IS NOT an excuse to let it slip that Cousin Nay Nay likes girls because she should “just come out already”.

– IT IS NOT the day to look for innuendo or decipher tweets from your celebrity crush to see if there is any truth to her “I Kissed a Girl” rumors.

– IT IS NOT a day to have to explain why your facebook information section doesn’t explicitly say you are a woman looking for women.

National Coming Out Day is civil awareness day celebrating individuals who publicly identify as a member of the LGBT community. It is celebrated by raising awareness about issues that are pertinent to us. It is a time to discuss the health care disparities, the social security issues, and voids that civil unions just don’t fill. None of these things make me want to light candles on a cake or hit a pinata… but that’s just me.

What’s next Hallmark cards and balloons?