Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine on
Tuesday helped mark National Coming Out Day, the annual LGBT
awareness day first observed in 1988.
“Coming out often takes incredible
courage,” Clinton tweeted. “On #NationalComingOutDay, let's
honor that courage by showing LGBT Americans we're with them.”
“You have millions of allies who will
always have your back. I am one of them,” she added in a separate
message.
In an interview with ATTN:, Clinton's
running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, shared why he believes the
day is important.
National Coming Out Day is important
because we need to let LGBT youth know that they should be proud of
who they are, Kaine
said: “You're made the way you're made for a reason …
celebrate that and accept it.”
Calling coming out “one of the most
powerful forces in the fight for LGBT equality,” the Democratic
National Committee said in a press release that “when someone
decides to come out as member of the LGBT community, it gives their
friends, family, loved ones and neighbors a personal reason to
support LGBT rights, and it inspires more members and allies of the
LGBT community to stand up for what is right, even in the face of
discrimination, bigotry and violence.”