Coming Out in Color Honoring National Coming Out Day Through Art
Fall 2025 • Raye Maguire She/Her/He/Him
When we come out and come together, we make history.
Since 1988, National Coming Out Day has served as a landmark to honor our history and celebrate our future out loud. We remember our queer elders like Keith Haring who came before us and paved the way with their voices, their art, and their authenticity. Harring’s iconic National Coming Out Day painting became a rallying cry and a symbol - We are coming out loud, proud and full of joy.
This year, HRC hosted a National Coming Out Day Art Exhibition to invite LGBTQ+ artists around the world to share their stories. Coming out and inviting in means something different to everybody, but every voice comes together to send a clear message: We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere.
Seth Kalish
Seth Kalish of Germantown, Maryland, envisioned his work as a reimagining of Keith Haring's iconic National Coming Out Day painting. By simplifying down the original work and multiplying it over again, Kalish shows the size and strength of the LGBTQ+ community when we come out together.
“The joy resulting from the accumulation of this brave honesty is depicted in a pair of energetic Haring-like figures finding and celebrating each other.”
-Artist Seth Kalish
Thomas Doyle
Thomas Doyle from Washington, DC uses vibrant colors and bold poses to capture the spirit of coming out in ceramic sculpture. This diva embodies vibrant queer joy, reminding us that our celebration, our stories, and our creativity are acts of resistance. “She's equal parts playful and revolutionary queen, a camp icon demanding peace, love, and acceptance with every exaggerated pose. This is drag as armor and celebration, a glitter-glazed reminder that now, more than ever, the LGBTQ community must fight, must shine, and must be seen, because visibility is the fiercest look of all,” Doyle said.
“While National Coming Out Day can be somber and serious, it can also be a time to celebrate us! Being our authentic selves in public for the world to see.”
-Artist Thomas Doyle
Marco Pérez
Marco Pérez from Lima, Peru, shows us coming out as a new beginning. Through images of the dawn, Marco evokes the warmth, light, and beauty of living your truth.
“Coming out is an act of revelation that inherently entails a state of vulnerability, yet it simultaneously represents the courageous presentation of one's authentic self. It is a reaffirmation of one's existence and a declaration of the intent to engage with the world by making one's diversity visible.”
-Artist Marco Pérez
Joan Cox
Joan Cox of Baltimore, Maryland, was inspired to create what she wanted to see in the world. Growing up without seeing herself represented, she shows the importance of sharing our existence, our stories, and our joy openly. “By highlighting these relationships, I strive to create the kind of images I longed to see growing up: images that affirm that queer love is real, complex, and worthy of joy,” Cox said.
“My paintings celebrate the joy and intimacy of lesbian relationships, affirming the beauty of connections that have too often been hidden or silenced. On National Coming Out Day, when we honor the courage it takes to live openly, my work offers painted declarations of love that are unapologetically visible.”
-Artist Joan Cox
Miguel Andrisani
Miguel Andrisani grew up in Rosario, Argentina, where he discovered a love of art he brought home with him to West Hollywood. His bold murals celebrate the diversity and vibrant joy of living authentically, a striking reminder of what it looks like when we come out and come together.
“Miguel's coming out is not just a personal story; it's a declaration of pridewomen into the very fabric of his work. Every mural he paints and every design he creates carries the weight of a life lived with honesty and authenticity. It is a powerful reminder that the most beautiful art comes from the most genuine places.”
-Artist Miguel Andrisan
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