AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)– National Coming Out Day is an important day for the LGBTQ+ community. It was officially celebrated on Monday, October 11th.
The idea behind a “coming out” day is that homophobia thrives in silence. So, a lot of people who identify at LGBTQ will talk about their sexuality with friends or family, which is no doubt a big risk.
My good friend and colleague, Archith Seshadri, is celebrating a personal milestone, which was recently coming out to his family. He faced the risk of acceptance on several levels, including cultural, as he did not grow up in a community where being gay was accepted.
His hope (and mine) is that this candid conversation will speak to someone who may be struggling to live their authentic life, to be true to themselves.
Archith said it beautifully:
“Be who you are. There’s only one of you in the world. And to people who are perhaps struggling with this, don’t ask them. If they trust you to share that secret, it’s my story to tell people. If someone tells you, don’t go gossiping and telling others- and help them. Listen… people just want someone to listen to, so be kind, be nice and be a good human being cause that’s all we can aspire to be.”
