Mohawk Valley Community College will celebrate National Coming Out Day on Friday, Oct. 11, at the College’s Utica Campus. All are welcome to attend.

Every year on National Coming Out Day, people across the U.S. celebrate coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ), or as an ally.

MVCC’s event, sponsored by the College’s LGBTQ+ Committee, will include an exhibit of photos and the coming-out stories of MVCC students, faculty, and staff from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Alumni College Center room 116 at the College’s Utica Campus. Supportive community organizations, including the YWCA, ACR Health, and Planned Parenthood, will be on hand to provide information. Refreshments will be available. For more information, please call 315-792-5657.

National Coming Out Day was first observed 31 years ago, on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The day is a reminder that one of our most basic tools is the power of coming out, that coming out — whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or allied — still matters. One out of every two Americans has someone close to them who is gay or lesbian. For transgender people, that number is only one in 10. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other. Learn more at www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out.