National Coming Out Day is an event that brings awareness to the LGBTQ community. It is a day where anybody, male or female or anyone else can come out about their sexual orientation. They may tell their family, friends, or the entire world, but it is a day to not be afraid of who you are.

National Coming Out Day is for people to come out voluntarily. Those who are insecure about their sexual orientation should not fret, because the LGBTQ community will kindly be supportive. This national event happens every year on Oct. 11 and was founded by Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary. This last Monday marked its 27th anniversary.

On Oct. 12, Skyline College held its own National Coming Out Day in the quad. The event happens each year, but the officers of the variety of clubs that participated in the event this year wanted to make it different. Dennis Zheng, President of the ASSC, said that this was the most successful National Coming Out Day so far.

This event was put together by the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) and the Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC) who created activities for other students to get involved in and be aware of National Coming Out Day. Once the event started, the atmosphere was lively and joyful. It was filled with music and everyone was dancing enjoying themselves. They had a photo shoot called “My Big Fat Gay Wedding,” where friends or lovers could recreate and pose a marriage proposal scenario with the costumes provided. Club members were giving out cupcakes and conversing with the other students involved in the event. They even had massage therapists come out and support the event by giving massages. Everyone was spreading happiness around campus, which is the whole point of National Coming Out Day. This day was not only to bring awareness, but to be content with you yourself and the others around you.

“We really want to show students who are in the closet, you know it’s ‘National Coming Out Day’, and it’s not an obligation to come out, it’s more of a friendly embrace,” said Dylan O’Shea, senator of the ASSC.

Gay marriage has been a hot topic throughout the years in the United States. The LGBTQ community had to fight in every state and courtroom to legalize gay marriage. California was the second state in United States to allow same-sex marriage until Proposition 8, which defined marriage between only a man and women. It was later ruled as unconstitutional in 2010, restoring freedom to marry the same sex in California.

On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage is constitutional and guaranteed the right for same-sex couples in all 50 states. Hence, National Coming Out Day became even more important for the LGBTQ community.

“Since marriage equality passed we hope to educate the students on who they are, and it shouldn’t matter because everyone is equal,” Zheng said.

“Legal gay marriage is new thing, this is us showing acceptance and show how much we love it,” Skyline student Caroline Barros said. “National Coming Out Day does impact Skyline”