This Sunday, October 11th, the LGBTQ+ community and their allies will celebrate National Coming Out Day. It is an awareness day dedicated to showing support and unity for those who have — and have yet to — announce that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or anything else under the LGBTQ+ umbrella to family and friends.
National Coming Out Day was started in 1988 by Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary, two LGBTQ+ activists. In the early days of the holiday, it served as an opportunity for many people, including celebrities, to live life as openly LGBTQ+ and to raise general awareness about the struggles and oppression that many people in that community face. Today, that purpose still stands and is fulfilled every year, as well as being marked with individual celebration and pre-COVID parades.
This year, Penn’s own Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) will observe the holiday by putting up posters announcing the event.
Evan Swihart 
Nevaeh Derkis