[HuffPoo] Since the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, Oct. 11 has been observed as National Coming Out Day, a day to raise awareness about LGBTQIA+ people and "champion the idea that homophobia thrives in silence.""Coming out of the closet" is the process through which an LGBTQIA+ person discloses their sex, gender or sexuality to another person. And in a world where LGB youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth, where 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide, and where our state and federal governments continue to deny or rollback hard-won rights, it’s clear that coming out as LGBTQIA+ is still a radical and important action.
When I was 2 or 3, I would walk around our house wearing my mom’s high heels and my dad’s tank top, which I treated like a dress since it was so long on me. I was drawn toward feminine things, and frequently helped my mom tie scarves and played with her jewelry. She used to sell Lady Remington — the ’90s jewelry version of Mary Kay or Avon or Pampered Chef (all of which my mom also sold!) — and I would be her little helper, modeling her latest samples.
I didn’t think there was anything wrong with me, but when I was a couple of years older, my parents, out of protection, steered me away from feminine expression and activities. By 5, I realized that others saw something in me that I hadn’t quite understood yet, and I was often bullied for being too feminine, too soft, too gay.