Having a love/hate relationship with holidays and other special occasions is nothing new. In fact, most people tend to feel this way, whether it's Thanksgiving, birthdays or Arbor Day; holidays are a double-edged sword.
Sure, Christmas is a wonderful time for families to come together, but it also highlights the consumer-driven nature of our society. Then there's Valentine's Day, intended to celebrate the beauty of love — with unoriginal romantic gestures and pre-fab Hallmark cards. And sure, Halloween is always fun, but unless you know the good neighborhoods to hit, you're going to wind up with a sack of crappy candy.
Each of these days is born from good intentions, and then warped somehow.
Similarly, National Coming Out Day , which is celebrated today, also has a pros and cons list. On one hand, of course it's great to have a day that raises awareness of LGBT issues and encourages people to live their lives openly, proudly. This is especially true at a time when bullying of LGBT youth is a problem across the nation and the legalization of gay marriage is a subject of constant debate.
