On Tuesday October 14, Chad Griffin, HRC’s President and Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-Winning screenwriter of the groundbreaking 2008 film Milk, are continuing their tour through Project One America States as they participated in a forum at the University of Mississippi about the critical importance of LGBT people and their straight allies sharing their courageous stories and coming out. On Monday, Griffin and Black were at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas. Both events coincided with the recent celebration of National Coming Out Day (NCOD) on October 11, now in its 26 year.
Through exclusive videos and a week-long blog series leading up to NCOD, HRC has been sharing the diverse experiences of people from all walks of life who’ve come out, and highlighting stories via Facebook, Twitter, and for the first time, Snapchat. HRC also released a compilation video of celebrities and public figures who made the decision to live openly earlier this year, including Former Miss Kentucky Djuan Trent and actress Ellen Page, who came out at HRC Foundation’s inaugural Time to THRIVE Conference.
When people know someone who is LGBT, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. HRC encourages LGBT people and straight allies to share their stories and has resources available that can be helpful to start those conversations. Learn more about the history of National Coming Out Day as well as helpful coming out guides by visiting HRC’s website.