Coming Out on Coming Out Day

By Leland Spencer

On October 10, 1984, my mother had dinner at Chi-Chi's restaurant. For many people, such a meal would induce acid indigestion. For my mom, it induced labor. I was born at seven minutes after midnight on October 11.

Some of my friends in the Gay-Straight Alliance at Mount Union College were among the first to point out the humor and irony of my date of birth: it coincides with National Coming Out Day. Therefore, I quite literally came out on National Coming Out Day (although my birth technically pre-dated the inaugural National Coming Out Day celebration by a few years, if you want to get technical).

Other than the aforementioned literal coming out 24 years ago, I've never come out to someone on National Coming Out Day, but I think it's fantastic that such a day exists. If you are in any stage of the coming out process, I encourage you to think about today as a day to make some progress on your journey toward being your whole, authentic self. Others are with you--especially today.

Wherever you are in the process, the message I want to send you is this: congratulations! Even if you're not out at all, you're reading a blog post about National Coming Out Day, and that's a big step, especially if it's one of the first steps you've taken.

I see coming out as a spiritual process, one in which we practice loving God's creation--beginning with ourselves--by embracing the persons God created us to be. Therefore, I mean it when I say to those who are celebrating National Coming Out Day today: Congratulations, and Amen!