On Oct. 11, 1987, half a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This was the second such demonstration in our nation’s capital. They came up with the idea of a national day to celebrate coming out and chose the anniversary of that second march on Washington to mark it.
In 1990, Shepodd was hired as executive director and among her first actions was to obtain tax-exempt status for the organization. Her innovations resulted in the expansion of National Coming Out Day to all 50 states and seven foreign countries. A turning point came in 1993 when National Coming Out Day merged with the then-Human Rights Campaign Fund.
In 1995, Candace Gingrich (half-sister of then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich) becomes a National Coming Out Project spokesperson and full-time activist. The other project spokesperson that year was Dan Butler, who plays the character Bulldog on NBC-TV’s Frasier.
HRC ratcheted up the project’s profile in 1996 because it was a presidential election year, and a very important one for the GLBT community. The theme was, "You’ve got the Power. Register. Vote."
The cost of estate planning can range anywhere from $250 to $5,000, depending on the lawyer, and the details and size of your estate. However, it’s important to note that these costs are minor compared with what can happen without proper planning. GLBT people, in particular, tend to run a higher risk of having their plans challenged by your family of origin.