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The History of Coming Out

On Oct. 11, 1987, half a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It was the second such demonstration in our nation’s capital and resulted in the founding of a number of LGBT organizations, including the National Latino/a Gay & Lesbian Organization (LLEGÓ) and AT&T’s LGBT employee group, LEAGUE.  The momentum continued four months after this extraordinary march as more than 100 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists from around the country gathered in Manassas, Va., about 25 miles outside Washington, D.C. Recognizing that the LGBT community often reacted defensively to anti-gay actions, they came up with the idea of a national day to celebrate coming out and chose the anniversary of that second march on Washington to mark it. The originators of the idea were Rob Eichberg, a founder of the personal growth workshop, The Experience, and Jean O’Leary, then head of National Gay Rights Advocates. From this idea the National Coming Out Day was born.

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Coming Out in the Workplace as Transgender

Some transgender people who wish to disclose this truth about themselves to others have reached a breaking point in their lives where it’s too difficult to hide who they are any longer. Transgender people often feel compelled to share who they are in order to build stronger and more authentic relationships with those closest to them. This is particularly true at school and at work, where we consistently spend a majority of our waking lives with certain other people.

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Resource Guide to Coming Out

Read A Resource Guide to Coming Out in .PDF or virtual publication format.

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Coming out as a Straight Supporters

Read HRC’s A Straight Guide to GLBT Americans and other helpful resources to help build your understanding and show support.

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Resource Guide to Coming Out for African Americans

People of color may face unique challenges when they come out as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. To address these issues, the HRC Coming Out Project has developed a resource on coming out in the African-American community.

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Articles about Coming Out

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