Happy National Coming Out Day!

The History of National Coming Out Day

The first National Coming Out Day, organized by Jean O’Leary and Dr. Robert Eichberg with the National Coming Out Day organization, was observed on October 11, 1988, the first anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. In 1993, the National Coming Out Day organization merged with the Human Rights Campaign Fund, which created the National Coming Out Project in 1996, which is part of HRC's ongoing work that goes beyond the activities on October 11 to provide resource guides and information to people who are coming out or those interested in understanding the journey. During the first few years of the project, Artist Keith Haring contributed his 1988 famous image of a person stepping out of the closet to the project and it continues to be a staple in supporting our work providing resources to the LGBTQ+ community. https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/national-coming-out-day#history-of-ncod