Students of all genders and sexualities will be coming out of the closet (literally) to celebrate National Coming Out Day on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

During Coming Out Week from Oct. 10 to 14, the UWM Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center will have exhibits and tables stationed in the Union Concourse. The highlight of their display includes a giant closet students can “come out” of and declare themselves gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Straight students can walk through the closet and declare themselves allies.

“If you’re African-American, Hispanic-American or Asian-American, a lot of times you can find your people just by the way they look or by what people’s names are,” said Yves Lapierre, director of the LGBT center. “But when you’re gay or lesbian, usually you have to come out and let people know about your sexuality.”

Coming out and being out is a lifelong process that, for many who are LGBT, begins in college, Lapierre said. “Coming out is not a one-shot deal,” he said.

National Coming Out Day is held every year on Oct. 11 to commemorate the 1987 March on Washington for lesbian and gay rights. It also marks the anniversary of the first display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, whose squares memorialize those who have died from AIDS. The first National Coming Out Day took place in 1988.

This year’s theme, according to the Human Rights Campaign, is “Talk About It.” In addition to providing a closet for students to experience coming out of, the LGBT Resource Center is sponsoring other events that encourage students to discuss sexuality, marriage and other issues affecting LGBT life.

Featured events include the following:

• I Heart My Female Orgasm, a feminist queer-friendly program on female sexuality, will be held Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in Flicks in Sandburg Residence Hall. People of all genders are welcome. Free tickets are available from the LGBT Resource Center.

• Lyrical Sanctuary, an open mic night featuring a special appearance by Natalie E. Illum, will be held Oct. 12 from 8 to 10:30 p.m. in the Union Art Gallery. Illum is a founding member of Mothertongue, a spoken word and creative writing organization for women and girls, based in Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Poets, singers and other performers are welcome.

• No on the Amendment, an opportunity for students to sign letters to their representatives and get information about the proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage, will be held Oct. 13 all day in the Union Concourse.

Lapierre hopes people will be encouraged to take a look around the displays throughout Coming Out Week.

“We want everybody to stop on by, say ‘hi,’ and just be involved in the programming we do,” he said.

For more information, visit the LGBT Resource Center in the Union WG89 near the Terrace Café or call 229-4116.

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