Embracing your inner rainbow on National Coming Out Day

The event, run by the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office, gave students a safe space, and let them know they aren’t alone when choosing to come out. CREDIT: PEXELS

Attending a National Coming Out Day tie-dye social with the Sexual Gender Diversity office at the U of G

AADYA KAPOOR & CHLOE WOOD

National Coming Out Day was first celebrated in 1988, in the United States by Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary. It's a recognized day to support the LGBTQ community, spread awareness about coming out, and decreasing the stigma surrounding it.

The Sexual and Gender Diversity office at the University of Guelph hosted an amazing tie dye social event to celebrate the National Coming Out Day at the university which allowed the students on campus to have a safe space to enjoy the day together.

The event was held in Peter Clark Hall at the University Centre. All the equipment for tie-dyeing was already set up along with snacks for the students. The event was a huge success, and the turnout for the event was amazing. Students went home with beautiful tie-dyed socks, shirts, and a full heart, knowing that they are not alone when coming out.

“National Coming Out Day is a day which celebrates all identities and all stages of coming out,” said Caleb Hardwood, the Sexual and Gender Diversity advisor at the university.

Hardwood supports and advocates for students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community by helping them, navigate their identity while in the cisheteronormative society. He played a huge part in setting up the very successful tiedye social and creating a calming and comfortable environment for all the students.

He believes that National Coming Out Day plays a crucial role for the LGBTQ+ community because, it celebrates all identities, which is not dependent upon who someone is out to, how they are out to someone, or even if they are out to anyone. He tells us that, “We just want to celebrate everybody within their own queer identity, and that’s what the [Sexual and Gender Diversity] team really wants to achieve."

Here are a few ways you can celebrate the queer identity of your loved ones and show support through allyship: • Creating a safe and healthy environment for the person where we can talk about queer and trans identities freely. • Tell the person that they are loved no matter what, and when you say that, mean it. • Validate and respect your

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loved one’s identity. • Learn what their identity means and understand it through the various resources available on the internet and on -campus. • Don’t make judgements towards the person who has come out to you. • Sharing your pronouns to create a safe space for other people to share and use theirs and feel more comfortable around you. • If you make a mistake, take a step back, apologize, learn from it, and move on.

Overall, make sure to always respect the identities and experiences of LGBTQ+ folks. If someone decides that they want to come out to you, they will feel a lot safer doing so knowing you won’t judge them for it. Also, remember that it is ultimately the other person’s decision if they want to come out or not, so don’t take it personally if they do only after knowing you for a long time. Revealing these parts of your identity can be incredibly difficult, and some may be perfectly content not coming out at all, and that’s okay.

If you make sure that you can be a safe space, you’ll likely find that your relationships to your loved ones will feel even more fulfilling.