First Annual Coming Out Day Celebration Debuts on Stine Lake
By Alicia Method, Staff Writer
While National Coming Out Day has been observed every Oct. 11 since 1988, Gettysburg College saw its first large-scale celebration of the event on Tuesday, Oct. 12 from 2-5 p.m. on Stine Lake.
The annual National Coming Out Day celebration debuted on Stine Lake on Oct. 12, 2022 (Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)
National Coming Out Day was originally established by Robert Eichsberg and Jean O’Leary to remember the 1987 March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. Eichsberg was a psychologist from New Mexico, and O’Leary was a gay rights activist and founder of the Lesbian Feminist Liberation.
Gettysburg’s Coming Out Day festivities were organized by the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center and the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life in collaboration with the local Gettysburg Pride organization. Other campus resources such as Counseling Services, Musselman Library, and Campus Safety hosted tables with information and LGBTQ+ themed items.
Musselman Library Diversity and Inclusion Committee member Janelle Wertzberger, who also serves as the Assistant Dean and Director of Scholarly Communications, commented on the library’s participation in the event.
She stated, “The library’s diversity and inclusion committee was thrilled to create a table for this event. We pulled a small selection of our LGBTQ+ books and many students checked them out from the festival. We also took book suggestions from students, and were happy to be a part of this event.”
In addition to campus resources, other vendors set up tents and distributed wares and information. Some of these were The Hive Warehouse, which sold pride art, Gettysburg Community Theater, and the Lutheran Camping Corporation.
Students enjoyed treats from food trucks, a raffle, crafts, photo opportunities, and a drag performance.
Isaac Master ’25 spoke about his experience at the event, saying, “It’s really nice that anyone from any part of the community can come together to celebrate.”
The National Coming Out Day event on Stine Lake on Oct. 12, 2022 featured a “closet” and pride flags that students could take photos with (Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)
October 17, 2022
What a heartening event to read about at my alma mater, over 4 decades after I left. It shows that G-burg has made concrete progress on the issue of LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance, which is much more of an example of the true spirit of those who are actually Americans for freedom.