Welcome to 2016 where same-sex marriage has been legalized, visibility for the LGBTQ community has skyrocketed, and where calling something or someone “gay” does not mean dumb or stupid. Thanks to the efforts of the Human Rights Campaign in  spreading awareness, coming out of the closet to friends and family has become a safer place for everyone in today’s society.

Before there was National Coming Out Day (NCOD), there was the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights fighting to spread the awareness of the AIDS crisis and how little the Ronald Reagan administration did not recognize the dilemma as an actual issue. A year later, to celebrate the anniversary of the march, NCOD came to be!

So, how does the Teen Wolf, Arrow, The Grinder, and Scream Queens star play a role into this huge scheme of national coming out day? Colton Hayne was honored with the Human Right Campaign’s Visibility Award! Haynes’s speech trended over Facebook the weekend of the event.

Haynes shares three facts about himself that individuals that didn’t follow him on social media should know:

1. He grew up in Kansas.
2. He has been obsessed with clouds and wanted to be a meteorologist.
3. Lastly, the fact that he’s gay.

During his speech, he states that his sexuality comes as natural as the colors of his eyes. Working with his sexuality has made him an open and honest person, which tied into his acting career. Haynes talks about how he takes on so many different roles that he never felt like himself until that moment on his the stage giving his speech.

“I don’t necessarily feel especially deserving of this recognition. We all know that there are many other ways, many other people  who have come before me and blazed the trail as LGBT advocates and role models. And I’m walking in their shoes and I’m following in their lead. Instead, I’ll accept this award as a promise. My promise is simple and real and I’m not making it you. I’m making it to the next generation of lesbians and gay men, bisexuals, transgender youth, and I hope my example will give them the confidence and hope to be who they are as well and for them to conquer their own fears and their own hesitations.”

Haynes reassures those questioning about coming out of the closet that if they do, it will be worth it in the end. They will finally get to be themselves along with find out who they are, who their families and friends are, and help them become honest and open individuals.

National Coming Out Day is not about finding that happily ever after, as Haynes states in his speech, but it is about having a happy beginning. So whether you’re a cowboy, a drag queen, a bartender, or a mobster, like in Pop Kowboy, celebrate yourself and enjoy being the only person you can be, yourself!

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