National Coming Out Day

Free Source Photo by Sara Rampazzo

By Soumya Konar  

October being the National LGBTQ+ History Month, paved a path for the Cultural Life Centre in partnership with Rainbow Union and Bandwagon to hold a Coming Out Photoshoot on October 11th. A photo/video shoot was hosted in the Student Leadership Centre from Noon to 3:00 PM. This served as a platform to celebrate and draw attention to the incredible members of this community and their accomplishments. With the Bandwagon team contributing through their photography skills, the photos were distributed to the respected participants and, upon permission, on their YouTube and Instagram channels.

Pride flags representing disaggregated identities were provided for the photoshoot, a process to make it more exuberant. Rainbow Union, one of the most popular clubs on campus, provides a safe environment where all members who are a part of the Alfred Community, regardless of an individual's gender, identity, or sexual orientation, are accepted. 

We need to acknowledge that National Coming Out Day is not a day to force anyone to come out or shame people who did not. Instead, this should be a day to recognize the difficulties of coming out and providing courage and support to those who do. The Cultural Life Center further invited everyone to attend their programs and continues to provide an inclusive environment for Alfred State Pioneers—including the Paula Rezak Social Justice Library located on the fourth floor of the Student Leadership Centre full of books and resources to support you on your journey. Finally, this marked a day where many of our students, staff, and faculty had the courage to share a significant and beautiful part of their lives with us.  

Richard Eichberg, a psychologist, and Jean O'Leary, a gay rights activist, founded National Coming Out Day in 1988 to create a platform to promote awareness of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. Since then, October 11th was the day marked to remember the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Happy National Coming Out Day!