John,

Happy National Coming Out Day! Every year on October 11th, the LGBTQ community celebrates and supports LGBTQ people coming out of the closet. It is a day for proudly living your truth and celebrating LGBTQ freedom – so don’t forget to celebrate today!

And while we celebrate, it’s important to remember the members of our community that are not able to safely come out of the closet. Too many LGBTQ people still fear rejection or harm should they choose to live openly.

But with each voice that speaks out – and with each voice that runs for public office – the fight for equality becomes a little bit easier. As our LGBTQ candidates and trainees will testify, LGBTQ people spend their campaigns continuously coming out to voters and displaying what their identity means to them. While they often face homophobic and transphobic attacks, they also inspire LGBTQ youth looking for a role model and a sign that life will indeed get better.

We know that having an out LGBTQ voice in the room changes the debate and humanizes LGBTQ lives. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin famously defended an LGBTQ rights bill to a conservative member of Congress, convincing him to change his vote and side with LGBTQ people. LGBTQ elected officials like Kansas state Representatives Susan Ruiz and Brandon Woodard, Virginia state Delegate Danica Roem, and Colorado state Representatives Brianna Titone and Leslie Herod were instrumental in pushing LGBTQ equality legislation and mobilizing their fellow members to support their bills.

This National Coming Out Day, there is so much to be proud of – and so much more work to be done. If you can power our work with a donation today, we appreciate it.

Have a great weekend,

Elliot Imse
Pronouns: he|him|his
Senior Director of Communications, LGBTQ Victory Institute 

LGBTQ Victory Institute is a tax-exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 52-1835268.

Victory Institute is only national organization dedicated to elevating openly LGBTQ leaders who can further equality at all levels of government. Through our training and professional development programs, each year Victory Institute assists hundreds of individuals who go on to influential careers in politics, government, business and advocacy. Many of our trainees join the more than 1,000 openly LGBTQ elected and appointed officials now serving around the world.

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