Today is National Coming Out Day

[kproche]

For the record, in case you have managed to miss it somehow:

I, Kevin Roche, am an out gay man, happily married (yes, legally married in the State of California) to my love of 12 years Andy (aka bovil).

I have worked for IBM Research in San Jose for 27 years, am out of the closet at work and engaged as a volunteer on a number of diversity programs there.

Everyone's situation is different. If you are not straight and can be out safely, I encourage you to take the chance. The more people who know someone who doesn't fit the heteronormative sexual stereotype, the less likely they are to treat us as dismissable objects.

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Comments

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

I visited Andy to ask him a question at work, and noticed that one of the decorations in his cubicle is a copy of his marriage certificate to you. I was so utterly charmed and moved by that.
(after I fought down the tears, of course, cuz it's hard to ask about Lotus Notes calendar stuff when one is sniffly)

I'm willing to bet none of those "sanctity of marriage" types have their marriage certificate up front and center as their daily motivation in their lives.

[iamradar.livejournal.com]

...Now you have me all sniffly!

[deirdremoon.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear. You and your husband are one of the best-suited couples we know... I hope more people get a chance to personally know examples like that in their own social circles, to take the demonization out of the issue.

[marquesate.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't have a clue how anyone could have missed you're gay m'dear. :-p

I'd like to add on a more serious note, though, that even us supposedly heteronormative sexuals (love that term) can be het but not within the norm. Seems to me that the whole lot of categorisation is mostly a fail anyway, but I guess us humans like to categorise everything.

I mean, gay / bi / straight how exactly are such broad categories helpful? :-)

[kproche.livejournal.com]

That was the point in including the word "stereotype" in my construction.

The broad categories are somewhat helpful in casually determining whether to pitch woo at someone in the first place.

(Note the important delimiter "casually" in there. Folks who bond physically after achieving emotional intimacy first aren't usually so worried about the broad categories by that point; they've found the real way to determine someone's compatible :-) )

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

You are one of my Happily Married Couple sets, with legal backing.
I just hope all my friends eventually get that right, no matter their sexual orientation. Because I know that makes a difference.
May the two of you have a long life together.
*hugs*

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear. You and your husband are one of the best-suited couples we know...

WORD!! :D

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

Me too. ^^;

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

I have worked for IBM Research in San Jose for 27 years, am out at work

Oh dear lord. The first time I read that, I thought, "WHAT? THEY LET HIM GO AFTER 27 YEARS...oh, wait."

[kproche.livejournal.com]

Sorry about that. Added "of the closet" to the original post to avoid causing any more cardiac events.