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October 11, 2018 Marks the 30th National Coming Out Day Oct. 11, 2018 Marks the 30th National Coming Out Day

By Katherine Sciortino

Rainbow flags outside of the Hall of Languages in Syracuse, NY.
© 2018 Katherine Sciortino

Here at Syracuse University, rainbow flags are displayed on campus to celebrate National Coming Out Day today. It’s part of LGBTQ History Month, to celebrate the contribution of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer community.

Peter Levchuck, a senior at S-U, recalls the difficulty of coming out as freshman in college.

It was probably one of the scariest things that I’ve ever done, scarier than coming to college, scarier than pretty much anything.

I remember sitting down in the dining hall drafting a text out to my friends but first I texted my roommate just because […] I was nervous living in a room with someone else if that was going to be an issue but it totally went over so well. And that just sort of solidified that there’s all those preconceived notions of coming out aren’t necessarily true.

Levchuck came out to his friends and roommate on National Coming Out Day, three years ago. But khristian kemp-delisser, director of the LGBT Resource Center, says that coming out as a tradition or ritual today isn’t as popular as it used to be. But National Coming Out Day is still recognized as a time to reflect and celebrate those who have.

We use coming out month, or coming out day as a nod towards history but also an opportunity to reflect towards how we will be living out our identities moving forward in the future too. So today is both about looking back as well as kinda thinking about tomorrow and how our identities look moving forward.

SU’s LGBT Resource Center uses National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ History Month as a platform to spread awareness of people with marginalized genders and sexualities.

We want to compress all of the education, and all the community building, and all the outreach into a really intense month that will sort of remind everybody on campus that we’re here

Throughout the month of October the resource center along with student groups are organizing various activities like movies, dinners, and mixers across campus. For NCC News, I’m Katie Sciortino.

By Katherine Sciortino, SYRACUSE, NY (NCC News) – Every year on National Coming Out Day, people across the United States celebrate and support those who have come out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ). Today, Oct. 11, 2018, marks the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day.

National Coming Out Day started as a day for a simple form of activism, where people came out to family and friends to remove the fact that ignorance is one of the greatest reason for homophobia.

Today, Syracuse University recognizes and celebrates the day, which takes place during the LGBTQ History Month, to bring awareness and support to those with marginalized genders and sexualities.

Peter Levchuck, a senior at Syracuse University, came out on National Coming Out Day three years ago and said it was one of the scariest things he has ever done.

“I remember sitting down in the dining hall drafting a text out to my friends but first I texted my roommate just because…I was nervous living in a room with someone else if that was going to be an issue but it went over so well,” Levchuck said. “And that just sort of solidified that there are all those preconceived notions of coming out aren’t necessarily true.”

khristian kemp-delisser, director of Syracuse University’s LGBT Resource Center, says that coming out as a tradition or ritual today isn’t as popular as it used to be, but National Coming Out Day is still recognized as a time to reflect and celebrate those who have.

“We use… [National] Coming Out Day as a nod towards history but also an opportunity to reflect towards how we will be living out our identities moving forward in the future too. So today is both about looking back as well as kinda thinking about tomorrow and how our identities look moving forward,” kemp-delisser said.

The LGBT Resource Center placed Rainbow flags in front of the Hall of Languages to showcase their support to LGBTQ History Month.

“Right in front of the Hall of Languages when you see all of the pride flags when you see propaganda that’s supportive, it made me smile. It made me feel like we are doing the right thing as a community, we are so encouraging, we are trying to just let people be who they are,” Levchuck said.

The LGBT Resource Center uses National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ History Month as a platform to spread acceptance and awareness of people with marginalized genders and sexualities. Throughout the month of October, they will be hosting various activities like movies, dinners, and mixers across campus.

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