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Syracuse common councilor says National Coming Out Day is more than just a celebration

Tom Magnarelli
/
WRVO News

Tuesday, October 11, is National Coming Out Day – a day first observed in 1988 on the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The month of October also marks LGBTQ History Month.

Jimmy Monto is vice president of CNY Pride and the first openly LGBTQ member of the Syracuse Common Council.

“We have to keep in mind that it's not just a celebration of those who have come out,” Monto said. “But it's a reminder of the fact that our job, as those members of the out-community, to try to support and bolster those that are terrified to come out.”

He advised people to find their community whether it be in-person events or even just talking on the phone with someone you trust. He also stressed supporting people who choose to come out later in life.

“Our community along with the allies, need to make sure that we're supporting them equally as we support the youth,” Monto said. “It's the same. It's just as scary. It's just a different kind of scary."

Monto said while his family was accepting of his LGBTQ identity, not everyone is as lucky saying some people can never live their full truths with family and friends.

“I live in a city that is progressive enough where I don't feel in danger,” Monto said. “Small town America is not like that. There are places where a gay bar is 80, 90, 100 miles away, or any sort of resources are far away from someone.”

Additionally, the councilor said Pride events, like National Coming Out Day or LGBTQ History Month, need to be more than just celebrations – pointing to a call to action following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June.

“As far as we have come there are forces trying to push us back,” Monto said. You've watched a Rogue Supreme Court strip away rights from women who represent more than half the population of this country. To think that we're not next on that agenda is short-sighted.”

New York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011 under the Marriage Equality Act. This would protect those unions in the state if the Supreme Court were to overturn same-sex marriage.

Ava Pukatch joined the WRVO news team in September 2022. She previously reported for WCHL in Chapel Hill, NC and earned a degree in Journalism and Media from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, Ava was a Stembler Scholar and a reporter and producer for the award-winning UNC Hussman broadcast Carolina Connection. In her free time, Ava enjoys theatre, coffee and cheering on Tar Heel sports. Find her on Twitter @apukatch.