Today is National Coming Out Today – an observed civil awareness day recognized annually on October 11. This day celebrates individuals who publicly identify as bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender.
Rich Madaleno and his husband, Mark Hodge, highlighted National Coming Out Day by reading some of the tweets they have received since Madaleno announced he was running for governor of Maryland.
In a YouTube video released earlier today that parrots late-night host Jimmel Kimmel’s popular segment “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets,” Madaleno and Hodge read aloud a few nasty tweets they received from angry Twitter users and fired back in kind with good humor and clever snark.
“On National Coming Out Day, and, in fact, coming out on any day requires a spine. You need a spine to be out to yourself, to be honest with yourself, your family, your community,” Madaleno said in the video.
“That’s why it is so important because it’s our path to equality, knowledge, and understanding amongst our friends, neighbors, and community.”
A Miner Detail agrees.
Cheers to Rich and his husband, Mark, on this important day in celebrating equality, liberty, and love.
While we still have some distance to go in the fight for equality, today we’ll celebrate Maryland’s inclusivity and its victory in securing marriage equality.
Kim and I will continue to stand on the front lines for equality with Rich, his husband, Mark, and all of our friends in the LGBTQ community.
