On Sunday, during a Purim Assembly at the religious school where I'm filling in as a Hebrew teacher, Rabbi Dan Rabeshaw said that everything gets turned upside down on Purim. That, coupled with this essay by Steven Greenberg (an out gay Orthodox rabbi), which I found from the linked site (below), remind me of how queer-positive a holiday Purim should be. Purim is about turning things upside-down until their true character is. It's like voluntarily letting someone hold you over a garbage can until you speak the truth.
The Purim Story: A queen won't submit to her king, then the king shouldn't be king in the first place, his advisor controls him, a lowlife Jew becomes queen, a lottery happens where the winners are losers, the new queen confronts the king, an edict gets overturned, the guy who wanted to kill others gets hanged.
Practices: We dress in costumes, we get intoxicated, we are pushed to hide and then reveal who we truly are, just like Esther in the story.
While Purim may be a symbol of encouragement to those who want to come out, I am not sure we need a National Jewish Coming Out Day. I'm not even sure I approve of National Coming Out Day. We need to work to make it safe for people to come out every day, not only once or twice a year. While Purim may remind us of the positives of coming out, we must acknowledge that people come out when they are most ready and most safe in doing so.
Aside: I think Purim can be especially significant for trans-folks out there. Anyway, I know it was a type of draw for one.
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