Event Ideas for National Coming Out Day
Come Out to Family, Friends and Co-Workers
Make a commitment to be honest about your sexual orientation or gender identity to those who know you. Coming out and living openly as a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or supportive straight person is an act of bravery and authenticity. Being brave doesn’t mean that you’re not scared; it means that if you are¬ scared, you do the thing you're afraid of anyway. Polls continue to show that people who know someone gay are more likely to support full equality.
Host a Guest Speaker
Invite a speaker or group of speakers with a unique perspective or coming out story to help define what the day represents. This is a great way to present gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender role models to a varied audience — and simultaneously educate and inspire all involved.
Sponsor an LGBT-Themed Lecture and/or Discussion Series
If your National Coming Out celebration is scheduled over the course of a week or a month, this type of series is a great way to inform members of your community about various issues that confront LGBT individuals. Possible topics might include:
- The status of LGBT politics (lobbying vs. direct action, party politics, etc.)
- Political issues concerning the LGBT movement (i.e., the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, marriage equality, hate crimes, HIV/AIDS funding, adoption)
- The historic and theoretical connections between the feminist movement and the LGBT movement
- LGBT issues and the law
- The international LGBT movement
- LGBT people in history
- LGBT people in Hollywood
- Homophobia in sports
- Religion and the LGBT community
Set Up an Information Table
A National Coming Out Day information table – at malls, schools or businesses — allows you to distribute information about the importance of coming out. With so much misinformation about the LGBT community, this form of outreach can help turn ignorance into acceptance. (Remember that you may need to get permission to set up your table.)
Hold a Speak-Out or Rally
Maximize your event's visibility by holding a rally in a public area where a diverse audience can participate. Focus on local or national issues, and be sure to invite local media and elected officials.
Come Out to Your Elected Officials
Write letters to your members of Congress and local representatives asking them to support LGBT-friendly legislation. Arrange a letter-writing campaign as part of your National Coming Out Day activities. Make paper, envelopes, pens and sample letter language available to participants. Click here for more information about writing letters to your elected officials.
Show Your Support Through Fashion
Encourage everyone you know to come out in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people by wearing specific clothing items, such as blue jeans or red T-shirts. Wear pink triangles, rainbow ribbons or nametags proclaiming your support. Educate everyone in your area about the meaning of these items and symbols.
Run a Visibility Ad
Place an advertisement or an "out list" — a list of openly LGBT staff, students, faculty, community members and co-workers— in a local publication to reveal the true diversity of the LGBT community. Your list should also include supportive straight allies.
Hold an Interfaith Service
Feature numerous faiths to give people the opportunity to share their coming out stories within the context of their religious experiences. Ask a religious leader to deliver a special sermon on the importance of coming out. (http://www.dignityusa.org/solidarity/). You can find more information about LGBT religions communities at HRC’s Religion & Faith Program website.
Sponsor a Film or Cultural Festival
This idea is particularly helpful if you are trying to expand your National Coming Out Day celebration beyond Oct. 11. By featuring LGBT-themed films or documentaries, you present the cultural richness and talents of the LGBT community. Organize a photo exhibit (http://www.lovemakesafamily.org/) or an art exhibit by prominent LGBT artists, or host LGBT musical performers.
Hold a Queer Prom, Dance or Party
National Coming Out Day is about raising political and cultural awareness about the LGBT community, but it is also about fun! Throw a party to show your pride and to celebrate your freedom to be out. You could sponsor a drag king or queen show, talent show or poetry slam.
Make Your LGBT Community Visible
For example, PRIDE at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington marks National Coming Out Day with a "Honk for Diversity" action where group members stationed at busy intersections hold signs/banners urging passersby to show support for LGBT rights.
Celebrate LGBT History
October is also recognized as Gay and Lesbian History Month — providing a great opportunity to share LGBT history that has been hidden for too long. Trace and exhibit the history of the LGBT movement, your local organization, employee group or your campus LGBT group. Display photographs and biographies of famous LGBT people.
Construct a Closet
Enlist some handy-women or -men to design and construct an actual closet door, and invite the community to literally "come out of the closet" at your event. Take pictures of people exiting the closet and raise funds for your group by charging for each photo.
Chalking on Campus
Many college LGBT groups chalk phrases, poetry and pro-LGBT statements on sidewalks to send positive messages about coming out. Check with your school to find out what the guidelines are on your campus.
Hold a Book Drive
Many city and grade school libraries lack books by and/or about LGBT people. Celebrate National Coming Out Day by collecting books and donating them to your local library. If the library isn't willing to accept your donation, consider giving the books to an LGBT community center, high school gay/straight alliance or youth group.
Come Out in Support of Others
At times, the LGBT community is accused of being unconcerned about issues that aren't gay-related. Use National Coming Out Day to show that "we're here, we're queer and we care about others." A canned food drive, clothing drive or highway cleanup project initiated and executed by out community members is a powerful image.
Host a Diversity Training
Hold panels at residence halls or for local teachers and guidance counselors. National Coming Out Day is a good time to answer questions and spark dialogue among peers, student teachers and already working teachers.
HRC is always looking for new event ideas to share with the world. Please e-mail your suggestions to comingout@hrc.org.
Whatever you do for your National Coming Out Day celebration, don’t forget to submit your event to our website so we can include it on our calendar. You can also email HRC a copy of any flyers, programs, news articles and/or photos from your event(s) so we can have a record of all the fabulous ways everyone has celebrated the day. Thanks!