Happy National Coming Out Day

 Coming out isn’t black and white. It’s not something that looks the same for everyone and every individual’s experience with it is different. For some, coming out is the best thing they can do for themselves and their lives. However, for some people, it’s not safe for them to come out or they don’t feel comfortable or even feel the need to. There’s no right or wrong to coming out and there most definitely isn’t an age limit to it.

I think that something that’s important to emphasise is the fact that not publicly coming out does not invalidate your identity. However you identify is still valid no matter if/when you come out. Nobody should ever feel a pressure to come out, particularly if they don’t feel safe, comfortable, or ready to do so.

A big myth about coming out is that it’s a one-time thing. People sometimes assume that you come out and then every single person you ever encounter knows your identity but obviously this is far from the case and a lot of the times, you never know how people (especially those you don’t know very well) are going to react to your identity. Obviously, you don’t have to come out to every single person that ever comes into your life, but wouldn’t it be a nicer world if we didn’t have to live in fear of someone’s reaction to our identity?

Seeing coming out posts always warms my heart and genuinely makes me feel emotional – I feel proud of these people that I don’t even necessarily know because I know first-hand that it can be truly terrifying to put your authentic self out there for the world to see and perceive. However, I’m also proud of the people who can’t or don’t want to come out. At the end of the day, coming out is a completely personal thing and whether you’re out to yourself, to nobody, to everyone or you’re still trying to figure everything out – I am proud of you, and you always have someone there for you. You’re important, valued and accepted as your true and authentic self.