Coming Out for Pride

Coming out during Pride Month can be a hugely important thing. Some professionals, like Jessica Barlow, are able to use platforms like LinkedIn to share their stories and empower others to come out. You can read more about Jessica’s coming out here.

It's important to remember Pride’s roots. Pride started with the Stonewall Riots, which united a community that had otherwise been downtrodden and marginalised by society. In effect, Stonewall galvanised the LGBT+ community into what it is, and Pride has inherited this community. Through rebellion, and rejection of cisheteronormative ideals that an intolerant society would put on us, Pride has represented the safe harbour for LGBT+ individuals to be themselves, explore their identity, and celebrate their successes in an environment surrounded by other LGBT+ people.

You may remember your first Pride - surrounded by other LGBT+ people and allies, you could present as you wanted, express yourself as you wanted, and for some it was the first time they could be who they were. That comfort, that safe space, should not be overestimated: PewResearch found that 77% of LGBT+ people believe that Pride helps make society more accepting, with 8 in 10 saying that Pride events have helped promote the social acceptance of LGBT+ people. Our community has come a long way since Pride parades began in the early 70s, and this can be reflected in the successes of Pride as festivals get bigger and better every year. To that end, it is understandable that individuals may feel a sense of empowerment from being surrounded by other LGBT+ people and in an accepting atmosphere.

1- Being a visible community

With Pride parades canceled, it is important to stay visible and one very powerful way is to come out. Inclusion in the workplace does not stop when offices are closed and LGBT+ employees should stay vocal to ensure their organisations do not forget about them when organising and planning, shaping company policy, and making decisions about how to accomodate staff. Pride, and having Pride, is so important to raising personal profiles and being unashamedly LGBT+ to enable us to advance our rights in the workplace and beyond.

2- Coming out to support people in the world who can’t even celebrate Pride

Consider the Pride movements in less-favourable societies. In Russia, for Pride Month, the US Embassy in Moscow flew a Pride flag in defiance of Russian laws which consider the promotion of non-traditional relationships to be a criminal offence. But the flag was a figure: LGBT+ Russians found the strength and courage to come to celebrate Pride in front of the flag. Despite condemnation from Putin, the LGBT community in Moscow have overcome the barriers in their way to celebrate as we who live in more progressive communities have been able to. With the Moscow Times reporting that LGBT+ support is at a 14 year high, we may see a Russia with state-sanctioned Pride Parades in the years to come. Heading further south, to Georgia, where Pride in Tbilisi held its first parade last year despite threats of violence, and the LGBT+ community in Georgia, even in small numbers, were able to express themselves. Far from necessarily being a party, Pride in countries like Russia and Georgia is a statement: that LGBT+ people will not be silent in the face of oppression; that pride is a protest, as its roots were. As we in Western Countries continue to raise the profile of LGBT+ issues in progressive environments, the knock-on effect is helping to speed up the pressure on societies elsewhere to recognise our inalienable rights to be who we are. Pride is our unity.

3- Coming out to inspire others

Many celebrities have chosen this Pride Month to come out. This last Pride Month, we saw some big names come out, such as actress Pearl Mackie, actor Ben Aldridge, and snowboarder Tanner Pendelton. In time, these acts of bravery inspire others - in the week following Tanner Pendelton coming out as the first openly gay snowboarder, four more of his colleagues came out. The knock-on effect of Pride, and through finding allies in your circles - both LGBT+ and beyond - empowers you to be yourself and to lift up those around you who may struggle to feel the same. You don’t just come out for yourself, you come out for those around you who can’t, and for your community. By raising visibility, you say to others that look at you, or your position, or your successes, that they can have all of that whilst being a proud and open member of the LGBT+ community. It strikes to the core of what the “It Gets Better” movement is about, which seeks to support LGBT+ teens, who often face tremendous difficulties in being themselves as they grow up in the face of bullying and rejection: that no matter where you are today, your sexuality or gender identity cannot and will not be a barrier to your successes.

That act of inspiring others to come out, by coming out yourself, can't be overstated. Just as you come out when you feel supported to do so, by simply coming out you may help others to feel that support necessary to come out themselves. Every action has consequences: by coming out, you positively affect others to feel as though they wouldn't be alone in doing so. In the aforementioned situations, like Russia and Georgia, coming out is an act of defiance: by inspiring others to come out, these early forerunners start the chain reaction that spark social change, as others feel supported to do the same. That inspiration is vital, and you can play your part by either starting, or carrying on, that chain with your coming out. You may never know who exactly looks up to you, but your actions will help those that do feel as though they can overcome the hurdles that face them down.

To come out for Pride is to be empowered by your identity, and to say proudly, as Gloria Gayner did: "I am what I am."