National Coming Out Day was observed in the United States on Friday, Oct. 11. The federally recognized day was first celebrated in 1988 on the one-year anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Though Carleton has celebrated events for National Coming Out Week in the past, this year, the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) joined with the Office of the Chaplain hosted a celebration of the day on Oct. 13. While this was mainly driven by the efforts of students, one of the newest members of the Chaplain’s Office, Associate Chaplain for Christian and Interfaith Life Mary Perez, and the new head of the GSC,  Jonathan Gonzales, were enthusiastic to help.

Perez wanted the event to “offer Carls a sense of coming into community,” they explained, also emphasizing how welcoming the chapel is. “The chapel is a place that’s open to everyone,” they added. Perez is queer and nonbinary, and has enjoyed their first fall term at Carleton, explaining that they feel as if they’re able to be themselves and create spaces for others to do the same.

Gonzalez, who moved to Northfield in June from North Carolina and started working in July, wanted to continue the tradition from past years of working with the chapel to celebrate National Coming Out Day. The GSC is celebrating the entire month of October, which is federally recognized as LGBTQ+ History Month. Other highlighted events include a GSC open house on Oct.18 — in Eugster due to construction — a celebration of LGBTQ+ Center Awareness Day on Oct. 19 and a drag trivia event at The Cave on Halloween.
“No matter where LGBTQ+ Carls are in their journey,… this event is for all those people [who] I hope can feel celebrated and validated,” Gonzalez said about the chapel celebration.

One of the changes that Gonzalez has implemented is a door built by a community member and painted by Carleton students in the colors and pattern of a pride flag, which offers a photo opportunity for all students. One did not have to identify as queer in order to attend the celebration.

Gonzalez and Perez, who worked together closely over the summer with student workers at the chapel and the GSC, realized that  the celebration “could be whatever we wanted it to be,” and were intentional in how they presented the event, calling it a “celebration” instead of a “service.” Perez recognized that religion can sometimes conflict with queer identities and is putting together a processing group for students who are or were Christian and identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Both Gonzalez and Perez enjoyed the planning process for the National Coming Out Day celebration, with the latter most excited to show that the chaplain’s office is a place for everyone. Gonzalez made a point of bringing in new students alongside those who had helped plan National Coming Out Day celebrations in the past, and keeping several traditions in the celebration itself, such as student performances.

The hour-long celebration, which was student-led from beginning to end, started with a musical performance from Clara Devey ’27, who covered Gigi Perez’s “Sailor Song.” Then, Mileana Borowski ’25 spoke about coming into their identity.

“The kaleidoscope of selves that make up a person is part of being human,” Borowski said.

Isaac Kofsky ’27 gave a speech about his journey as a trans man, from the first time he privately told a friend that he was queer to publically coming out in 2023 through a Carletonian article, to starting testosterone. He highlighted how challenging yet rewarding it was for him to come out to those around him through this process. Kaya Shin-Sherman ’26 sang a cover of “Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls, while playing guitar.

Leo Hu ’26 highlighted the celebration with a drag performance and Carlos Trejo ’26 ended the event with a candle-lighting ceremony for the LGBTQ+ and ally attendees, allowing them to share their stories and where they are on their journey. The afterparty featured food from Desi Diner and there were photo opportunities with the door, which is a new addition to the celebration.
Overall, the celebration was a sharing of support and joy, with a comfortable, warm atmosphere.