Stephen F. Austin State University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs will host an event celebrating one of the most life-changing moments for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community as part of its National Coming Out Day celebration.
“National Coming Out Day is an annual awareness day to support members of the LGBTQ+ community who have publicly come out,” said Veronica Beavers, OMA director. “By supporting and encouraging those within the community to share their story, our hope is that others in the community will feel they are able to live their lives openly and safely.”
The come-and-go event will feature giveaways and snacks provided by the OMA. Members of SFA’s LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus also will be present with informational resources.
“Celebrating National Coming Out Day is important not only in upholding our mission to create a welcoming campus, but also so that our students within the LGBTQ+ community know they are supported and see that support in action,” Beavers added.
The national event began Oct. 11, 1988, exactly one year after half a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign website.
The National Coming Out Day celebration will be from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 11, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Plaza. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.
For more information on OMA events, visit sfasu.edu/oma.
By Christine Broussard, marketing communications coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University.
