Walter Beck talks to activist Leah Robinson about her series of anthologies about coming out in America.

Leah Robinson is an activist from Denver, Colorado and for the past year has been working on a series of anthologies called Coming Out; the first one was released last year to underground praise and acclaim and the second volume is scheduled for release in the Spring of this year. An expansive collection of coming out stories from all across America, complete with an annotated selection of reports and statistics on LGBT life in America, the Coming Out series is becoming a burgeoning sensation, giving voice to the voiceless.

I recently sat down with Leah and after a bit of small talk about protest music and some our favorites like ‘We Shall Overcome’ and ‘For What It’s Worth’, we got down to business, discussing her anthology series as well as the current state of the LGBT Movement in America.

Introduce yourself to the fine readers of Polari.

Hello readers of Polari, my name is Leah and I am an activist for the GLBTQ community!

What inspired the Coming Out anthology series?

I was inspired to do the book Coming Out as there is much mystery and fantasy surrounding the concept of homosexuality in the world today. I have published this book in order to introduce society to the real stories of real people whose voices have gone unheard for years. They live among us, although invisible to us, in our families, our schools, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods. Their sexualities have been mocked, dismissed, denied, oppressed, distorted, and forced into hiding. I believe that every single story goes through a journey of its own. First I thought it was most important to get stories from the people who wanted to tell them but as I progressed on the book, I found it necessary not only to include stories of people that are already out, or ready to come out, but also to search for those that weren’t. It has become more important to truly signify the wide range of experiences, so as to increase our chance of covering a very diverse community without leaving radically different voices, opinions, or life experiences out. 

So how has the reception been, not only from those who are in the collection, but from those who just read it?

I have got really good feedback from many people, not just the people in the book but those that have read it and/or even heard about it. I have been told that my book is very informative and has already helped a lot of people. I have also been told by some people that they wished they had this kind of book when they were growing up. People have stated that what I am doing for the GLBTQ community is amazing and that I have already touched many people’s lives and hearts!

Sounds like you got a groundbreaker on your hands.

Yes I would like to think so!

About how many copies has the first one sold?

From my records I have sold at least 60 copies of the first book, as well as donated some to different organizations.

So moving on from the first one, what about Coming Out 2 scheduled for release this Spring?

Yes, I will have it out no later than the end of April.

How many people have contributed stories so far?

37 and that is including myself.

With part one and two, what are some of the more noteworthy stories people have shared? What are the most striking triumphs?

Personally I would have to say my story is one for sure as I have been through a lot in my life because I am gay and have been discriminated against many times because of it as well as being raped. Some of the others would be artist/composer Jennifer Corday, DJ Sinna-G, director Gabrielle Lindau and Military Soldier Sam Malik just to name a few. I think some of the most striking triumphs would be being discriminated against and not being accepted by family and/or friends.

So are you still accepting stories for the second anthology? And how would someone go about getting their story to you?

Currently I am not accepting any more for the 2nd book but I am for the 3rd book of Coming Out. If anyone was interested in sharing their story they can contact me by email- ComingOut2012@hotmail.com – or on the Facebook page.

Looking forward to part 3 already? You have unleashed a monster here!

I sure am. This is something I feel strongly about and am just getting started!

So as an activist, how do you feel about the current state of the Movement here in America? It’s shaping up to be a big year, we have the Boy Scouts reconsidering their membership policy with the vote scheduled to take place in May, and in March the Supreme Court is taking up the DOMA/Prop 8 Cases and a decision is expected in June.

I think we are finding each other in greater numbers every day and uniting in solidarity. Our battle for full citizenship rights and public visibility is long, but is already powerfully underway.

Could this be the year that we finally reach those last mountain peaks?

If I had it my way it would have already been done but with each passing year we are getting closer and closer! My thoughts when it comes to this is that we all deserve to be treated equal.

Any final thoughts, musings, tips or advice for our readers?

Remember that you don’t owe anyone an apology. You are who you are, and that is beautiful! – Emy Storey

Click here to visit Leah’s Coming Out Facebook page.

The first book in the Coming Out series is available now, for more details or for info on how to get your story in Coming Out 3, email: ComingOut2012@hotmail.com