By Jack Wheeler

It is hard to ignore the voices of 200,000 people, especially when they’re practically knocking on your front door. In 1987, nearly a quarter million people rallied outside the White House in the name of the LGBTQ community. Now known as “The Great March,” this event created nationwide attention.

Exactly one year later, in memory of this movement, National Coming Out Day was started on Oct. 11, 1988.

Robert Eichberg, a psychologist from New Mexico, and Jean O’Leary, an openly gay political leader from Los Angeles, created the day to not only celebrate coming out, but to raise awareness for the LGBTQ community and the civil rights movement.

For some, the act of coming out can hang overhead for years. However, junior Robby Johnson had a slightly different experience.

“Me being gay has always been an integrated part of my life,” he said. “As a kid, I just started acknowledging it in everyday life.”

Johnson said the stereotypical “coming out” moment didn’t happen for him. It wasn’t until high school that he truly began to embrace it.

“Of course I went through a lot of the problems many people who come out face,” he said, ”but I orchestrated it in a way that didn’t draw attention to the fact that I was coming out.”

Both he and his parents, Johnson said, knew from a young age that he was gay, and it just became a part of who he is.

“I think that as the gay community, we are moving toward that more and more,” said Johnson.

He explained how people will often equate coming out with some kind of drastic change, as if it is expected that by coming out, you are now a different person. Johnson, however, doesn’t think it should be seen as such a big reveal.

“You’re not really changing when you come out. Things might be different socially, but you’re still the same person,” Johnson said.

To Johnson, it’s not about being gay or not being gay. He said he sees his sexual preference on a spectrum, and he is just one person on that spectrum of sexual identities.

“There’s gay and there’s straights, and then there are a million different things in between,” Johnson said.

His focus, he said, is not separating being gay from the many other aspects of his life, but integrating the two together. He explained that this separation and labeling of yourself as gay is what isolates many from society.

“Being gay is one percent of one percent of my personality,” Johnson said.

In countries throughout the world, NCOD is celebrated in a variety of ways. The now 27-year-old tradition holds festivities ranging from rallies and parades to information desks set up in public areas. Some even take this time to come out to their friends or family.

The LGBTQ community continues to face opposition in a variety of ways. A recent glimmer of hope has emerged from the Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage nationwide; however, it still seems to be an uphill battle towards equality.

As movements like these become more mainstream, the pressure for LGBTQ members to come out can increase despite concerns and adversity. However, Johnson has a slightly different view towards it.

“Take as much time as you want. Don’t think that there is pressure to come out. Live your life, go travel, come out when it’s most natural,” he said.