National Coming Out Day celebrates diversity

Rachel Miranda

The Signal

National Coming Out Day (NCOD), an internationally recognized civil awareness day, advocates government and public awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights and encourages people to “come out of the closet” and celebrate LGBT citizens.

For NCOD, Unity Club set up a rainbow balloon display on campus in Atrium I, in which people could write messages of love and support on colored pieces of construction paper that could then be tied to the balloons. Unity Club also had a closet door, provided by Julie Smith, coordinator of women’s and LGBT services for UHCL, where people could write messages as well as “come out of the closet” in pictures.

“Unity Club focuses on offering resources to LGBT individuals, as well as straight allies, to promote awareness of LGBT families living honest and open lives,” said Valerie Siman, Unity Club president. “We wanted to make the day about showing support for the students on campus who are part of the LGBT or straight ally communities, as well as making them aware there are people on campus who will support them and work hard to make our campus a safe and accepting place for LGBT individuals.”

Inspired by the 1987 National March for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Washington D.C., Robert H. Eichberg, a psychologist and founder of “The Advocate Experience,” a workshop to bring awareness to the LGBT community, and Jean O’Leary, a gay and lesbian rights activist, founded NCOD in 1988. Eichberg and O’Leary chose Oct. 11 to be the date of NCOD because it was the anniversary of the national march.

“I believe that people should celebrate National Coming Out Day because it is a day of pride and awareness,” Smith said. “In my opinion, this is a basic human right. We should be able to celebrate our selves and the diversity within our population. This day is designed to allow us all the opportunity to do just that.”

Intercultural & International Student Services (IISS) had also planned to celebrate NCOD by hosting speaker Bryan Hlavinka, an oil and gas engineer and LGBT activist, but he had to cancel because of unforeseen circumstances.

Shortly after Hlavinka graduated from Texas A&M University in 1997, he became active in the gay community and the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 2008 he joined the board for the Center for AIDS in Houston and currently serves as the chairman. He also helped form the World AIDS Houston Committee and participated in the city of Houston’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau “MyGayHouston” campaign. Hlavinka took on a new role this year; he was named “Grand Marshal” of the 2011 Houston Pride Parade.

“Younger members of our community are still susceptible to bullying and there are currently no legal protections in Texas from being fired for simply being gay,” Hlavinka said. “We need a coming out day for the simple reason that it is okay to be gay. It is who we are and hey, you should know this about us. As we come out, slowly these obstacles will diminish. Although these difficulties exist, I am optimistic for the future.”

Along with National Coming Out Day, UHCL celebrated Ally Week Oct. 17-21, a national awareness week hosted by Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) as part of National Bullying Prevention Month. GLSEN member, Joe Montana, and other youth members created Ally Pledge for Ally Week to empower others to become allies against anti-LGBT language, bullying and harassment.

Unity Club also participated in Ally Week by hosting a film and discussion of “Bullied” – a documentary about LGBT bullying in schools, along with speaker Alex Barsdale, board member of GLSEN Houston and an intern with the Texas Gay-Straight Alliance Network. UHCL staff and faculty members were also encouraged to sign Ally Pledges during the week.

“Events like NCOD and those that take place during Ally Week are vitally important, because we can shine a spotlight on the huge injustices that still exist for members of the LGBTQQI community and the devastating consequences of bullying and prejudice,” said Lindsay Humphrey, publications specialist and one of the Unity Club advisers. “These events also provide the opportunity for us to show that these issues aren’t just an LGBT thing, or a gender thing, or a race thing, or any other thing that separates us as individuals. It’s a human thing.”




The slideshow above was created by The Signal reporter Padmashree Rao, who attended Unity Club’s National Coming Out Day celebration
.