Bologna, October 11, 2016 Today we celebrate Coming Out Day, the public visibility of LGBT people. "Celebrating coming out," says Gabriele Piazzoni, national secretary of Arcigay, "means committing to self-determination, pride, and individual identity. The visibility of LGBT people is an achievement we must all cheer for, because that visibility is the foundation for the well-being of individuals and society as a whole. Coming out is neither easy nor trivial; it forces us to take stock of the world, to reckon with the costs that a homophobic, transphobic society like ours imposes on those who choose to live with their faces uncovered. Those costs are a shared responsibility: for this reason, Coming Out Day, on the one hand, serves LGBT people as a reminder of their second birth, and on the other, it is the spur that stimulates the entire social fabric to reflect on the obstacles it imposes on people's liberation. Removing those obstacles is the commitment we must all make today." On October 11th—Coming Out Day—the Arcigay Giovani network has relaunched the #HoQualcosaDaDirvi campaign. Throughout the week, the campaign will invite people to take photos and create videos in support of coming out and share them on social media with the hashtags #comingoutday and #hoqualcosadadirvi. The photos and videos will be shared and then edited together to create a video about the campaign. "Coming Out is an expression that is much more than just two English words," says Shamar Droghetti of the Arcigay Giovani network. Coming out is a declaration, a fundamental moment in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people decide to live a life "outside." From what? Out of confinement, breathing fresh air, speaking freely about their identity and the journey against discrimination they face because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. A strong, delicate, necessary step: an affirmation that says, "This person is me, and I want to live freely." Coming out involves the person who makes it and those around them: the recipient of the message, when they hear it, produces communication (feedback) and becomes an integral part of that coming out. Our coming out, in short, is important to us, and it is important to you too," she concludes.
