While some may have enjoyed a day off yesterday for a holiday worth reexamining, today’s observance is one more fitting of celebration. October 11 is National Coming Out Day, an open opportunity to claim pride in the face of discrimination and practice support as an active verb. In the hostile terrain of homophobic America, the power of building an loving community is not to be underestimated.

"Our Families" is a new video series that paints an intimate portrait of LGBT people of color, answering the harsh angles and bold lines of cultural and family expectations with intentional tenderness. Basic Rights Oregon, a LGBT legislative and advocacy group, created the series to highlight the unique challenges and experiences of LGBT folks in our communities.

A year ago today, we at Colorlines pledged to celebrate love as often as possible. With a daily dose of love, we close out with a smile, an ounce of warm fuzzies, a release from deep belly laughter–not to distract us from the challenges, rather to remind us why it is undeniably worth working through them. We are constantly confronted with stories that test our confidence in justice, but we remember that loving in the struggle is an act of courage. Particularly in the queer community, celebrating love is exceptionally courageous, and therefore incredibly powerful. Today, like every day, is a brand new chance to honor that courage.

We’re ending the day as often as possible by celebrating love. We welcome your ideas for posts. Send suggestions to [email protected], and be sure to put Celebrate Love in the subject line. You can send links to videos, graphics, photos, quotes, whatever. Or just chime in to the comments below and we’ll find you. Be sure to let us know you’ve got the rights to share any media you send.

To see other Love posts visit our Celebrate Love page.