National Coming Out Day

National Coming Out Week Events - 2008

Out and Ally List - Monday October 6th - Saturday October 11th

 

Sponsored by the Office of LGBTQ Resources, this list will be posted in the Broadside Student Newspaper during the week of October 13th, 2008 in honor of National Coming Out Day (October 11th, 2008).

 

It will state, "We are your students, professors, coworkers, roommates, teammates, alumni, friends, and family. We are just a few of the strong and creative lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, and same-gender-loving people - and allies - who are part of the diverse George Mason community. We invite you to join us in celebrating Mason's 2008 National Coming Out Week"

 

The Out and Ally list can be found here

 

Does Your Mother Know...? - Tuesday October 7th, 730pm in JC Room C

 

Sponsored by the Pride Alliance, representatives from PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) will be joining us during the regularly scheduled Pride Alliance meeting for a fun and heartfelt discussion about the effects and value (positive and negative) of coming out and the experiences of family members, friends, and allies in these situations!

 

Queer Mason Nation: Bringing Together LGBTQ Faculty, Staff, and Students - Thursday October 9th, 6:30pm in Hanover Lounge

 

Sponsored by the Office of LGBTQ Resources, get to know the Queer Mason Nation. This is an opportunity for students to network with Out faculty and staff, and a chance for Out faculty and staff to connect with students and other Out faculty and staff. This meeting will take place at 6:30pm on October 9th in Hanover Lounge (located in Hanover Hall, part of the University Commons Housing Area). After the event, please join us for the Coming Out Week Open Mic Night, sponsored by the Pride Alliance at 8pm. For additional information, please contact Matthew Bruno.

 

Open Mic Night - Thursday October 9th, 8pm - 11pm in the Piedmont Multipurpose Room

 

Sponsored by the Pride Alliance, come express yourself and hear others' stories and expressions of coming out experiences in the LBGTQA community. You can share your own stories through different mediums (whatever you want!), but you are NOT required to perform. Sitting and enjoying the show is definitely welcome! Mics will be provided, if you need any other equipment, email us or BYOE!

 

Amateur Night Drag Cabaret - Friday October 10th, 8pm - 10pm in the JC Bistro

 

Celebrate Coming Out Week with a little glitz! Mason’s own Reann Ballslee will be hosting a fantastic performance, sponsored by the Pride Alliance, in which anyone is invited to participate (ALL SKILL LEVELS WELCOME!). Come play with gender, sing karaoke, or show us your fabulous side! Those interested in doing a number should email Ryan Allen at rallen8@gmu.edu or the Pride Alliance folks at pride@gmu.edu before October 8.

 

 

National Coming Out Day Movie Day Triple Feature - Saturday October 11th, 3pm in the Piedmont Multipurpose Room

 

To celebrate National Coming Out Day, Pride Alliance will sponsoring a movie watching day! Feel free to come to any or all of the showings. Pajamas are welcome. Movies will be shown at 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm.

 

Check out the events calendar for all events.

 

History

National Coming Out Day (NCOD) was founded on October 11, 1988 by Robert Eichsberg and Jean O'Leary marking the anniversary of the 1987 march on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Since then, on or near every October 11, thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and allies celebrate NCOD; with workshops, speak-outs, rallies and other kinds of events all aimed at showing the public that LGBT people are everywhere.

 

Eichberg, who died in 1995 of complications from AIDS, said, in a 1992 interview, "Most people think they don't know anyone gay or lesbian, and in fact everybody does. It is imperative that we come out and let people know who we are and disabuse them or their fears and stereotypes."

 

And that is the point of National Coming Out Day - to let people see us, who we are, people they already like, know and respect - who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. That is our strongest tool in the movement toward full human rights.

 

National Coming Out Day has taken on a life of its own. In some towns and campuses people will all wear jeans to show solidarity (which offers its own amusement for the folks who didn't know what statement others would think they were making when they selected that day's wardrobe). Like all good events, sub-themes develop annually. "Coming Out in the Workplace" and "Coming Out at School" are but two examples from years past.

 

For a history of National Coming Out Day, check out the Human Rights Campaign history of NCOD.

 

At Mason, our NCOD observances have included presentations on LGBT scholarship by out LGBT GMU faculty, symbolic "Coming out of the Closet" photo opportunities (complete with doorways to step through) in the Quad, prejudice reduction workshops, and Mason's OutList project (in which we post listings of over one hundred LGBTQ and ally faculty, staff, students, and alumni OUTing themselves in support of NCOD). The LGBTQ Resources office organizes these observances in conjunction with Pride Alliance, ally student groups, and Mason departments.