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The Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project DFW’s annual “Be Who You Are” special section commemorating National Coming Out Day 2006, being published in the Dallas Morning News today, will offer several new features this year, according to project co-chair Jonathan Boarman.
The new features were added in response to reader feedback, he said.
The new features include an interactive element at the end of each story encouraging readers to talk about the issues and learn about the contributions of LGBT people, and a joint effort with Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays to “address the sometimes contentious issues surrounding LGBT people in a more comprehensive way,” he said.
Still, he added, the “Be Who You Are” publication remains, as always, “a celebration of the many LGBT people who’ve chosen to live open, honest lives.”
The theme for this year’s section is “Family Acceptance,” and the section will include a cover photo of Rosie and Kelli O’Donnell and their advocacy on behalf of at-risk children. There will also be articles on George Takei’s recent speaking tour promoting tolerance, John Lawrence’s reflections on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court decision striking down the Texas sodomy law and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond’s thoughts on the battle for same-sex marriage as an essential component of the civil rights movement.
Additional stories will focus on the Dallas-Fort Worth Black Tie Dinner in its 25th year, one family’s response to their transgender son and the 35-year history of PFLAG. And as usual, Boarman said, the section will include the Signature Ad that has been a centerpiece of National Coming Out Day activities in North Texas since the early 1990s.