Rebecca Munday, Staff Writer

When asked why the National Coming Out Day Celebration was important to her, Lydia Boone, a senior and diversity peer educator, said, “National Coming Out Day here on the Armstrong campus gives students a message that they are loved, supported and accepted, regardless of sexual orientation or preference.”

The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) partnered with the Housing office to host The National Coming Out Day Celebration in the Compass Point Clubhouse on Oct. 11. The event is part of the Georgia Southern It’s On Us: Week of Action Oct. 7-11. Other events include the Commit to Consent Rally, Beat the Blame Game and the Day for Survivors. 

There were markers, colored pencils, glue, glitter and sheets of blank paper so people could decorate their own “Out Cards.” There were buttons with sayings on them such as “ally” and “Best Bi.” Support and acceptance were common themes expressed at the tables. Both members of the LGBTQ community and allies attended the event. 

“I came today because I am an ally. I support everyone who decides to come out. Everyone deserves love,” sand student Brianna Benton.

Another student, Asia Brown said, “It helps show people, especially those who don’t have that much support, there are other people like them.”  

Participants were invited to take their picture with a mock Instagram frame and put their own message on it. A wall mirror was hung in the back of the clubhouse for attendees to post positive messages on Post-It Notes around its board so people could see themselves within the “Mirror Affirmation Wall.” 

The attendees played two rounds of traditional bingo using Skittles to mark their tiles. Then, the person calling out the words and phases decided to make the game harder by playing a game of four corners and eventually requiring participants to make an X on their Bingo board before calling “bingo.” The Bingo cards had tiles on them that described prominent people, organizations and sayings in the LGBTQ movement like Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen Page, The Trevor Project, National Coming Out Day, Love Wins and Anderson Cooper. 

Then, the event moved outside for the Coming Out Monologues. During the monologues, three students and one faculty member shared their stories of how they discovered their sexual orientation and came out to those they love.