In a post called "Living Fearlessly: National Coming Out Day, October 11," published July 21, 2010, I wrote about how, if everyone who is gay and still in the closet came out on the same day, our power would be undeniable, and the world would have no choice but to sit up and take notice.
The same thing was discussed on the Ricky Martin episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which aired yesterday, Tuesday, November 2. As Martin correctly stated, every gay person goes through a process of self-acceptance, which usually leads to some form of coming out at some point in time. Coordinating everyone coming out on the same day would be a challenge, indeed (which is one of the reasons for the "National Coming Out Day"), but there's a lot to be said about how we'd change the world if we did.
Ultimately, as Martin remarked, we need to get to the point when, if someone tells family, friends, and co-workers he's gay, the uniform response is, "So what?" That's the world I'm living to see, but, at this point, we can only do it only one person at a time, as each of us accepts himself and finds the courage to speak his truth.
Please click here to watch a brief video from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on the above subject:
www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Ricky-Martin-on-Acceptance-Video
I watched this episode after reading this post. It was enjoyable - but I find there are too many barriers between me and Oprah for me to like her. I just can't put up with some of her oddities... sometimes though, she is a great interviewer.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, I walked through a book store this week, saw Ricky's book, almost bought it. Maybe next time...
I'm sorry you're not a fan of Oprah's, Neal. I've been watching her since her show went national in the mid-1980s, and there isn't much about her I don't like. I'm curious to know what the barriers between you and her are.
ReplyDeleteAbout Ricky's book, I saw it too, and I'd like to read it. But I may borrow it from the public library. We'll see.
Thanks for your comment.