Tuesday marks a celebration for Syracuse University’s LGBTQ community and allies through National Coming Out Day, a tradition held by college campuses and communities nationwide since the 1980s.

The event, held annually on Oct. 11, originally celebrated the first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It has since grown nationally to rally support and pride among those who identify themselves as part of the LGBTQ community.

In honor of Coming Out Month, the LGBT Resource Center, in conjunction with Pride Union, will coordinate events to make the LGBTQ community feel welcomed and accepted on campus. The events are designed to foster discussion and raise awareness about the LGBTQ community at SU.

‘We try to provide a variety of events where they can learn something or find a connection,’ said Chase Catalano, director of the LGBT Resource Center.

Chalk the Quad, which invites students to share their coming out and support stories through messages written on the Quad, kicked off the month Wednesday.

This Wednesday, students are invited to the Coming Out Stories event in Kitteridge Auditorium to recount their personal coming out experiences and ally testaments.

Bryan McKinney, a senior architecture major and an active member in the LGBTQ community, has attended Coming Out Stories for the past two years.

‘It’s about giving people a sense of ‘here we are. We are out,” McKinney said.

Upcoming events include an ally development ‘Train the Trainer’ session, Café Q, Fusion, the ‘Mas-Queer-Ade’ Ball and the traditional Coming Out Stories.

Catalano said he hopes the LGBTQ community members and allies will form a connection, not just on National Coming Out Day, but throughout their time at SU.

‘I get the impression that each year SU becomes a safer place,’ he said.

Catalano said he is proud to say SU has a five-star campus climate rating for LGBT campus life. The climate rating is an index that assesses and helps colleges become more LGBT-friendly, according to its website.

‘Supporting, educating and advocating continue to be the driving forces of our organization,’ Catalano said.

Every student and faculty member is invited to identify themselves as allies to the LGBTQ community, Catalano said.

‘At SU, it’s part of our mission to make everyone feel like a part of our community,’ said Walt Wasilewski, an ally and professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. ‘SU does a great job of that. Diversity is truly honored and understood.’

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Published on October 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm