It's National Coming Out Day! But Not For Sarah Palin...

by Michael A. Jones

Published October 11, 2008 @ 06:46PM PT

Around the world today, LGBT activists are acknowledging what's become known as National Coming Out Day, the annual event meant to draw awareness to LGBT issues and foster safe environments for people to come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. This year marks the 20th anniversary of National Coming Out Day, which started in 1988 at the Second Annual March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. (Keith Haring, the late gay artist who died in 1990, designed the logo for the Day, which appears with this post.)

Who wouldn't support a civil awareness day meant to foster acceptance, tolerance and safety for LGBT people?

A certain Governor from Alaska, that's who.

Alaskans Together, a statewide LGBT rights organization, formally submitted a request for Gov. Sarah Palin to recognize the day in Alaska. After all, as Gov. Palin said in the October 2 Vice Presidential Debate:

...if there's any kind of suggestion at all from my answer that I would be anything but tolerant of adults in America choosing their partners, choosing relationships that they deem best for themselves, you know, I am tolerant and I have a very diverse family and group of friends and even within that group you would see some who may not agree with me on this issue, some very dear friends who don't agree with me on this issue.

But in that tolerance also, no one would ever propose, not in a McCain-Palin administration, to do anything to prohibit, say, visitations in a hospital or contracts being signed, negotiated between parties.

Well, apparently Sarah Palin isn't as tolerant as she'd like people to think. One would think that a tolerant person would support a civil awareness day that fosters safety and acceptance for LGBT people. But Gov. Palin's office has declined to recognize the day. Maybe it's unbecoming of a maverick to officially acknowledge civil awareness days.

Except, so far this year, Gov. Palin has issued proclamations for: "Careers in Construction Week," "10th Annual Christian Heritage Week," "Biomedical Technician Week," "Alaska Taiwan Friendship Week," "World Farm Animals Day," "Breastfeeding Awareness Month," and "Grand Opening of Rilke Schule Day."

Geez, here's hoping none of those biomedical technicians were gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. All kidding aside, what a lost opportunity for Gov. Palin to follow through with her comments from the VP debate.

On a more heartfelt note, here's hoping that your National Coming Out Day was safe. With Connecticut recognizing same-sex marriage yesterday, I can't think of a better weekend to celebrate a day for LGBT acceptance and equality.