I'm Coming Out - I Want The World To Know

"Come out of the masses. Stand alone like a lion and live your life according to your own light."

-Rajneesh

Today is National Coming Out Day. It is a day that was established 29 years ago on the anniversary of the second March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. And, yes, it is about coming out as LGBTQ+. It is also not limited to a day. Coming out is a lifelong process.

I came out in June 1991 as a gay man. I was freshly out of high school and looking forward to beginning University. While I was now out, I still had to find my unique identity. I still didn't know who I was independent of what I thought society would expect me to be. This was reinforced by the political activism I became involved with at University. October 11 was a day when the group with which I was associated would erect a pink door on the mall (the strip of grass that ran along most of the length of the campus) and flamboyantly march through and encourage others to do the same.

It's taken many years to just be me and live my life according to my own light.

My light is comprised of so much more than an identity of being a gay man. I still celebrate and attend Pride events and involve myself in the LGBTQ+ community, but I don't limit myself anymore.

Coming out is a process of accepting levels of comfort in identity. First one must become comfortable with oneself - if that doesn't happen, then fear will rule. Following that is what many see as coming out – opening up publicly and continuing to live openly.

In my work as a Spiritual Director, I have used the coming out process as a metaphor for how we live our lives spiritually.

First, one must become comfortable with identifying the true nature of being – as Infinite Spirit.

Second, from that place of comfort one may express this publicly.

Third, one can continue to live openly identifying as the Infinite Spirit.

Are you ready and willing to emerge and live life according to your own light without apology?