LGBTQ members of Congress celebrate National Coming Out Day

Brooke Migdon
·3 min read
28

Story at a glance

  • Openly LGBTQ members of Congress on Tuesday celebrated National Coming Out Day on social media.

  • National Coming Out Day is celebrated each year on Oct. 11, the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979.

  • White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the first openly LGBTQ person and first woman of color to hold the position, also celebrated the day by sharing her own coming out story.

Openly LGBTQ members of Congress commemorated National Coming Out Day on Tuesday with posts on social media, encouraging LGBTQ people to feel pride in living as their most authentic selves.

“Come out, speak out, and engage as if it were your birthright to do so – which, of course, it is!,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) wrote Tuesday in a tweet that was accompanied by a rainbow Pride Flag emoji. Baldwin in 2012 became the first openly gay person elected to the Senate.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), the second openly LGBTQ candidate elected to the Senate and the first openly bisexual person to serve in Congress, joined Baldwin in recognizing National Coming Out Day, which is celebrated each year on Oct. 11, the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979.

“All Arizonans should be able to live their lives freely and without discrimination – no matter who they are or who they love,” Sinema wrote. “Happy #NationalComingOutDay, AZ.”

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Other openly LGBTQ members of Congress including Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) also commemorated the day with posts on social media.

Reps. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), both of whom have transgender children, posted their own tributes for National Coming Out Day to celebrate their kids living as their authentic selves.

“Authenticity is quite possibly the most important thing in one’s life,” Newman tweeted Tuesday. “When my daughter told me she was trans, I threw my hands in the air and said ‘hooray’. ‘I’m so glad you found your authenticity.’”

Newman and Jayapal, along with Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), serve as co-chairs of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus’ Transgender Equality Task Force.

The White House also celebrated National Coming Out Day on Tuesday, posting a photo of LGBTQ staffers and reaffirming the administration’s belief that “LGBTQI+ rights are human rights.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre — the first openly LGBTQ person and first woman of color to hold the position — said Tuesday she was proud to share her coming out story.

“Like so many in the LGBTQ+ community, coming out wasn’t an easy thing to do. My family was traditional and conservative. Being gay in my family wasn’t something that you mentioned out loud or celebrated,” Jean-Pierre wrote in a Twitter thread. “But my family, like many families, grew to accept who I was.”

“The beauty of America is its freedom and the promise that you can do anything you want regardless of your race, sex, country of origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity,” Jean-Pierre wrote.

“Don’t feel discouraged if you come out and your family doesn’t embrace you right away. Love always wins!”

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