October is LGBTQ+ History Month, which includes National Coming Out Day (today) and Spirit Day (Oct. 15). Today, we want to share with you the story of Kieran Collier of the Boston franchise.

In the quidditch community, coming out has always felt like a step closer to where I’m meant to be.

Coming out isn’t something you do once and then never again. It’s a constant process. Every new space you enter there are unanswered questions: do I out myself? To this group of people? At this exact moment? How will they respond?

It’s a refrain of anxiety, to weigh whether or not it is safe, worthwhile, appropriate, to share all of who you are every time you open a door. It can be the moment before you lose a friend, or when you realize you don’t belong. For many it is often dangerous, a choice of extreme vulnerability. 

But within quidditch, I’ve rarely felt anxious. Instead, there’s this feeling, like my whole body is humming. It’s excitement—to share a greater part of myself with my teammates and the community at large. 

Like every other queer person, I’ll never be done coming out. Every time I do, it’s just another step in a long journey. In this community it always feels like a step towards where I’m meant to be.

Identity: Queer
Pronouns: He/him/his

As your friends come out or remind you of their identities today, take a moment to understand the trust they’re instilling in you and the community around them. Take a moment to consider what it means and the courage it takes to come out. Take a moment to tell them you support and love them.

If you want to do more, Collier recommends learning more about and supporting Black and Pink. Black and Pink is a volunteer organization that hosts a LGBTQ+ pen-pal program, distributes a monthly newsletter of primarily queer/trans prisoner writing and advocates for specific prisoner needs when possible while also working to abolish the Prison Industrial Complex as a whole.