PSU celebrates National Coming Out Day Monday

“Come Out. Speak Out. Vote” is the motto for this year’s National Coming Out Day, a nationwide show of support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in their struggle to gain acceptance in a society that has at times seemed bent on their marginalization.

The party will kick off at 11 a.m. in the park blocks and the festivities will include treats, music, and networking. Campus group Queers & Allies will be on hand to collect memberships.

Scheduled to rock are Sneakin’ Out, an openly gay trio fresh from last month’s cover of Just Out newspaper and also Ross and the Hellpets.

The purpose of National Coming Out Day is to encourage people who are “in the closet” about their sexuality to come out and honestly accept themselves for who they are.

The opponent the event is protesting against is not so much a government or a religion but the mental pain and strife that come from not being accepted for one’s sexual orientation.

The event has a long history. National Coming Out Day is held on October 11 each year to commemorate the first Gay Rights March on Washington on Oct. 11, 1987, in which a half-million non-heterosexuals stormed our nation’s capital, in large part to protest President Ronald Reagan’s policies on AIDS and the perceived government pandering to anti-gay religious leaders.