On Oct. 10, Park celebrated National Coming Out Day by setting up an interactive booth where stickers and flyers were offered to students in the cafeteria during all three lunch periods. With the national day officially taking place the following Saturday, Oct. 11, Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) organized this coming out day event to bring light to the day at Park.
Junior Anders Logan said National Coming Out Day is an excellent resource for students to express themselves and share who they really are. He said the day is a good opportunity for people to be themselves and meet people who will support them.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to share (who they are). I feel at Park we are strong in encouraging people to be themselves and exceed in that selfness,” Logan said. “It’s important for people to encourage being their true selves and meeting loving people (who encourage) that.”
According to English teacher Kara Marlin, National Coming Out Day is a day to highlight LGBTQ+ students and celebrate being LGBTQ+. They said GSA wanted to throw an event not just for National Coming Out Day but also to inform students about the club and offer a safe space for any students who might want that.
“Coming Out Day started as a way to normalize being gay, being queer (and) being trans. (At first, the day) was made to show that not only is it not rare (to be LGBTQ+), but that people that you know and love are part of that community,” Marlin said. “The GSA (club) here at Park wanted to come together to show people that we’re here and we’re available for students who want to use us as a resource for support.”
Senior Adin Lindell said National Coming Out Day is important because it brings awareness and visibility to the LGBTQ+ community. They also said it can help people in the LGBTQ+ community find a safe space that will support them.
“(Coming out day is) important because, as with any marginalized group and especially ones that sometimes feel invisible, it’s important to draw attention to and kind of celebrate and not just to acknowledge the people who are part of it (but also) to provide (a safe space),” Lindell said.
Logan said it’s significant that there is an official day dedicated to coming out as it offers people a specific opportunity to come out and be celebrated. He said the event also acts as a way to remind students that there are support systems at Park like GSA.
“(Coming out day) gives people an opportunity particularly among other days to (come out) and be celebrated and be themselves,” Logan said. This is the first big event of the year (for GSA) so we’re hoping to just encourage people to be themselves and spread a bit of love.”
Marlin said it’s necessary the school acknowledges National Coming Out Day because the school should be a place of support for the queer community. They said that by people who identify as LGBTQ+ because it makes schools a better indication of the real world.
“It’s important that we celebrate (National Coming Out Day) because we want our schools to be a reflection of the rest of the world, and right now it’s a difficult time for LGBTQ+ folks to be existing publicly and by celebrating this we can show support to folks in the school and hopefully start to build what we want to see in the rest of the world,” Marlin said. “I think for students who maybe are questioning or in the closet, this is huge because it shows them that there is a place for them here at the school to be themselves.”
According to Lindell, National Coming Out Day was founded to celebrate and showcase coming out and to help people who have or are planning on coming out find a community and more acceptance.
“It was originally founded to celebrate coming out and show that it could be a positive thing and to encourage people to do it. (As) more people come out, there’s more awareness and then there will be more acceptance and people can find more of a community and find people who are like them.” Lindell said.
