National Coming Out Day
The National Coming Out Day on October 11 was established in 1988 by Dr. Robert Eichberg, a psychologist, and Jean O’Leary, an LGBTQ+ rights activist, and openly lesbian woman, as an international day to celebrate those who openly declare their sexual orientation or gender identity. Today, this idea has spread globally, and large-scale celebrations related to the LGBTQ+ community are held annually around the world.
Keith Haring was a rare artist in the 1980s who was openly gay. In 1988, when the National Coming Out Day was launched, Haring created a work that became the logo for the event. In English-speaking cultures, the phrase “coming out of the closet” is used to describe revealing one’s LGBTQ+ identity. In this artwork, Haring depicts a figure stepping from a dark place into a colorful world, symbolizing the act of coming out and celebrating living authentically. This artwork remains an internationally recognized symbol of National Coming Out Day today.
The poster “National Coming Out Day,” which is part of our museum’s collection, is currently featured in the traveling exhibition “Keith Haring: Art into the Street.” You can view it at Matsuzakaya Art Museum (Nagoya) until November 16.
This Year’s Initiatives at Our Museum
This year, our museum is using National Coming Out Day as an opportunity to focus on young people’s coming out experiences. While the presence of the LGBTQ+ community is widely recognized today, and progress toward gaining rights is being made, the reality remains that discrimination and prejudice are still deeply rooted.
This year, we are introducing “The Coming Out Handbook for LGBTQ+ Youth,” created by The Trevor Project, which provides fundamental ideas about gender and sexual orientation, as well as specific methods and emotional care for coming out.
National Coming Out Day does not necessarily encourage people to come out. As explained in detail in the handbook, choosing the right timing and practicing self-care are crucial when considering coming out. This project at our museum aims to deepen understanding of what “coming out” truly means while supporting those considering coming out and the people who receive that information in understanding both themselves and others.
Coming Out:
A Handbook for LGBTQ Young People
Welcome!
Exploring your sexual orientation and/or gender identity can bring up a lot of feelings and questions. Inside this handbook, we will work together to explore your identity, what it might be like to share your identity with others, and provide you with tools and guiding questions to help you think about what coming out means to you.
The Trevor Project’s Coming Out: A Handbook for LGBTQ Young People is here to help you navigate questions around your identity. You know yourself and what works for you better than anyone else. Each of us has the right to share or not share different aspects of ourselves with others. No one else is entitled to information around your identities, if you do not want them to know. If you choose not to share parts of your identity with others, it does not make you any less valid than those who may choose to share their identities with other people.
“I’ve slowly been figuring out who I really am, and every step of the way I like who I find more and more.”
—Hayley, 16 (Virginia)
You may have heard people talking about “coming out” before in ways that are oversimplified, judgmental, or just plain scary. The truth is that there is no one way to “come out” or be “out.” There may be certain people in our lives with whom we want to share our sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and there may be others with whom we know that we do not feel comfortable or safe sharing. This is more than okay!
Some people may share their identity with a few trusted friends online, some may choose to share with a counselor or a trusted family member, and others may want everyone in their life to know about their identity. An important thing to know is that for a lot of people, coming out doesn’t just happen once. A lot of folks find themselves coming out at different times to different people. It is all about what works for you, wherever you are at.
The things you hear about coming out may make you feel pressured to take steps that don’t feel right for you, or that you don’t feel prepared for. Your experience is truly unique to you. You get to decide. This handbook is here to help you think through what might be best for you. After thinking it through, you may decide to be out to yourself, but not to anyone else — and that’s okay. Many people choose not to come out to others for different reasons. You are valid and deserve support no matter who you do or do not share your identities with. This resource is for you to explore how you feel and what choices are right and safe for you.
You can read the full English version of The Trevor Project’s Coming Out Handbook for LGBTQ+ Youth by scanning this QR code. Please take a look!
List of Information Resources and Helplines
Information Resources
Hosts gatherings four times a year for children under 15 who might be LGBTQ and their families.
Nijii’s (Tokyo, Saitama, Sapporo)
A safe space for LGBTQ (or those who might be) youth aged 10 to 23. Held once a month.
Meeting Group Connecting LGBTQ Families and Friends (Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe, Fukuoka)
Holds meetings for LGBTQ individuals, their families, and friends. Please contact in advance if elementary school-aged children are participating.
Offers programs such as “Family Meetings” where families can participate, and youth-oriented programs for teens.
Transgender Student Exchange Meeting (Osaka)
Holds three regular meetings and one overnight camp annually in Osaka, along with a yearly camp. People from kindergarten to high school participate.
An organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth under the age of 24.
PLACE Tokyo LGBTQ+ Youth Consultation Service
Trained counselors answer questions and concerns from LGBTQ+ youth about sexually transmitted infections, whether testing is necessary, safe sex practices, and sexual communication. Feel free to consult by registering as a friend on LINE. ⇨LINE
An organization working to create communities where people living with HIV/AIDS can live authentically.
Connects your loved ones with resources to support their mental and physical health.
Helplines
A 24/7 helpline available 365 days a year. Press 4 for LGBTQ-related consultations.
For calls from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures: 📞 0120-279-226
Available every Sunday from 5 PM to 9 PM. Children and youth under 24, as well as adults close to them, can seek advice.
A helpline primarily aimed at suicide prevention, offering anonymous consultation for various concerns.
Operated by prefectural and designated city Boards of Education, this service offers consultations for children’s concerns such as bullying. It is available 24/7.
Mental Health Support for Youth via LINE
Teenagers who feel isolated with no one to consult can access this service. Anonymity is maintained, and reports are not made against the caller’s will. Available 24/7, though replies may take time.
Operated by the Tokyo Mental Health Square NPO, this service allows you to consult counselors about various concerns via chat. Consultations are available free and anonymously via LINE, Facebook, or web chat.
Information Provided by: Nijikko, Child Support Navi