University of Wisconsin-Madison students and community members gathered at Library Mall to celebrate National Coming Out Day Oct. 9.
National Coming Out Day, which is celebrated Oct. 11, marked the 39th anniversary of the LGBTQ+ March on Washington, a protest that condemned the U.S. government's lack of response to the AIDS epidemic. The Gender & Sexuality Campus Center (GSCC) commemorated the event with a “Coming Out” Door, a rainbow-colored door for attendees to sign. The door received over 145 signatures this year, according to Tiffany Lee, GSCC’s assistant director of Student Success.
GSCC hosted a variety of pride-themed activities, including opportunities to take polaroid pictures, decorate cup sleeves and play board games across Library Mall and their center in the Red Gym.
“Overall, we wanted to create different ways for people to connect, whether that was through taking pictures with friends, getting creative, signing the door or just stopping by and spending time with folks,” Lee told The Daily Cardinal. “The event is really about bringing people together and letting everyone participate in whatever way feels right to them.”
For Lee, the event provides a chance to unite queer community members across the area, with the door representing the diversity of their experiences.
“It’s a chance to honor the different experiences people bring with them into our shared community,” Lee said. “It's an annual reminder of how important it is to create spaces and communities where people feel comfortable being and sharing who they are, in the ways they choose.”
Many of the guests echoed Lee’s sentiment, each with their own unique experiences regarding coming out.
Many LGBTQ+ adolescents report feeling isolated from their peers, with a 2023 study from Madison researchers indicating that transgender students were less likely to see mental health support from their parents than their cisgender peers were.
UW-Madison Junior Julya Licht told the Cardinal the event provided crucial support for those who need it.
“I just love seeing everybody so prideful, just being themselves, being happy, celebrating,” Julya Licht, a junior at UW-Madison, told the Cardinal. “It sets a good example for younger kids who might not feel accepted.”
For others, the event’s popularity reflects a changing cultural attitude toward queer acceptance. Alec Hogoboom told the Cardinal the event provides an avenue for self-expression for those who need it.
“I think that people don't understand what it feels like to be able to fully express yourself and be fully accepted, no matter who you are,” Hogoboom said. “A lot of people are stuck in these toxic cycles, and once you finally break out of that, it feels so good.”
While it was many guests’ first time attending the event, there were several attendees who return to the door year after year.
“To see all the different versions of my name, and getting to have each picture that shows each iteration of myself each year is really fun,” community member Alex Little told the Cardinal.
"Being queer was something that I used to really dislike about myself, really intensely, but in coming out, I found my community, the people I love, a sense of belonging,” Little said. “Coming out to me has been such an integral piece in shifting the narrative from disliking something so integral to myself to loving that part of myself.”
Beyond the door, GCSS’s celebration itself acts as a crucial reminder of queer support across Madison. As hundreds of guests navigated through Library Mall, community member Mariessa Roeles reflected on how such events can bring awareness.
“I wish students knew how queer Madison is broadly and what that looks like off campus,” Roeles said. “They are welcome here — even if they're not queer, even if they're not out yet — just to be able to be out here and celebrate.”
