Yesterday was the annual “National Coming Out Day.” It’s mostly underlined in the United States but in Canada, a handful of student groups and other organizations mark it, usually without much fanfare.

Does this point to significant culture differences between Canada and the U.S.? Perhaps.

A quick overview suggests that Canada has a greater percentage of openly gay and lesbian elected officials, per capita, than the States. Mind you, sexual orientation of candidates is no longer making headlines as it previously did so it’s challenging to research exact numbers.

While both countries have “out” public personalities, four relatively recent events in the U.S. underline just how sensitive a topic homosexual orientation remains.

Former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey is in the news (again). You may recall the ex-Governor stepped down in 2004 after revealing he had cheated on his wife — with another man. The public admission he was gay made him the only openly gay governor (and according to Wikipedia, the “only openly gay man to serve as a head of government anywhere in North America”).

McGreevey was back in the news recently, appearing on Oprah and promoting his new memoir, already topping bestseller lists. In part, the book’s sales success can be attributed to America’s obsession with salacious scandal and homosexuality.

The other recent event is the mid-summer “coming out” of celebrity Lance Bass, a performer who was part of the popular ’90s band ‘N Sync. As with McGreevey, Bass “came out” in a highly public way, through an interview with People magazine.

Apparently, Bass stayed in the closet for years because he didn’t want to affect the band’s popularity. He told People magazine: “I knew that I was in this popular band, and I had four other guys’ careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said [that I am gay], it would overpower everything. I didn’t know: Could that have been the end of ‘N Sync?” Many music industry folks said indeed, it would have ended the band’s high soar up the charts.

Thirdly, the Brokeback Mountain phenomenon also underlines the still-present sensitivity surrounding homosexuality. There is no denying the fact it was a well-crafted movie with a powerful, ill-fated, love story. But there is also no denying that because the love story involved two male characters, in an untypical setting, this attracted more attention.

It was revealing to witness the considerable efforts by the film’s marketing to downplay the gay angle and also, to emphasize the real-life heterosexuality of its two male leads.

Finally, the fourth and most recent event is the political storm surrounding former Florida Republican Representative Mark Foley. The revelation he sent sexually charged electronic messages to former (under-age) male pages prompted his resignation but the controversy continues weeks later.

Coming back to the initial question, does “coming out” still need its own day?

Obviously, people should pick their own day and way of coming out, as suits their circumstances and comfort level.

But they often cannot, because of societal constraints and fear of negative repercussions. It’s therefore still relevant to have a Coming Out Day.

Coming Out Day does not mean everyone should leap out of the closet at the same time. The shock in mainstream society might be too much to handle! Instead, Coming Out Day underlines the fact many people still can’t or won’t.