Today Is National Coming Out Day

Also known as "Confirm Office Gossip Day."

Today, October 11, marks the 24th anniversary of the first National Coming Out Day (NCOD). NCOD was launched after a march on Washington by more than half a million people in support of lesbian and gay rights on October 11, 1987. The purpose of National Coming Out Day is to promote government and public awareness of gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender rights and to celebrate homosexuality.

Back in 1987, after recognizing that the LGBT community often reacted defensively to anti-gay actions, Rob Eichberg (who ran a personal growth workshop called, The Experience) and Jean O'Leary (who was the head of National Gay Rights Advocates) came up with the idea of a national day to celebrate coming out and chose the anniversary of the march on Washington as the day.

While only18 states supported the very first NCOD, today the day is recognized by all 50 states as well as many countries around the world including Australia, Canada, Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In the US National Coming Out Day is currently organized by the Human Rights Campaign.