On this day in queerstory: Gay Uncles Day

August 14 marks the anniversary of the first Gay Uncles Day. Also known as Guncles Day, it was first celebrated in 2016.

Gay Uncles Day is usually celebrated on the second Sunday of August, so this year it was observed on August 10. But it is also important to recognise the anniversary of the founding of the day, and remember its significance to the LGBTQIA+ community.

The day was the brainchild of Facebook user C.J. Hatter, as Wikipedia confirms. It gained attention online when the late former rugby player Simon Dunn posted on his Instagram asking people if they wanted to celebrate “Gay Uncles Day” on Sunday, August 14.

It was proposed as a way of celebrating that person who exists in every family – the “voluntary bachelor”. While initially it was a day for uncles, it was been widened, dspite the name staying the same, to include gay aunts and other queer relatives.

The idea is to celebrate queer relatives, and create an environments that helps those who want to come out to do so comfortably when they feel ready.

The Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium gives the following definition:

Gay Uncles Day, also known as Guncles Day, is celebrated on the second Sunday in August. It is also a way for gay people to receive important validation from their families, which they may have been denied since they came out. It is also a day to celebrate the continued presence of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ relatives among families, despite social and familial pressures.

Gay Uncles Day is a celebration of queerness. It is a call to power. It is a day to help improve the visibility of LGBTQIA+ people and raise awareness of the prejudice and descrimination leveled at them regardless of whether out or not.