Binghamton University students assembled on the Peace Quad on Tuesday to participate in a Pride March for National Coming Out Day.

National Coming Out Day is an LGBTQ+ awareness day. It was first introduced in 1988 as a way to commemorate the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place one year prior on Oct. 11, 1987. The purpose of the march was to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and to demand more funds be allocated to fight the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Since then, Coming Out Day has become an international celebration, with marches and demonstrations taking place all over the world on Oct. 11.

The event, organized by the Q Center, began with members of the center setting up a table with signs and flags as attendees gathered and talked. Participants played music and made buttons, and were offered stickers and rainbow-beaded necklaces alongside other “pride merch” provided by the center.

Noah Zimmer, a senior majoring in geology, gave a speech at the beginning of the event about his perspective on growing up queer. Zimmer described the journey as a unique experience, with one constantly searching for “comfort, support, positivity and equality.”

“You see these gifts presented to those around you from their birth and wonder why you can’t be celebrated just like them,” Zimmer said. “Then you learn to forge your own path, giving yourself the things you need to grow. It’s difficult. It’s very difficult to feel held back by societal expectations, your peers [and] your loved ones. Sometimes you can even find that sliver of sunshine along the way, someone to admire and cultivate your true beauty. By being here today, you show that you are blossoming from the support you gave yourself, and the love from the community standing next to you right now.”

Attendees began the march by walking down West Drive, holding up handmade signs. They proceeded to make their way around the science buildings and past East Drive, ending back in the Peace Quad. Music was played throughout the event, with Zimmer describing the march as having “really great, positive energy.”

The Q Center organized the march as a part of their larger OUTober initiative, in order to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month. The month was created in 1994, after a Missouri school teacher, Rodney Wilson, proposed it as a way to celebrate and teach young people about the history of the LGBTQ+ community.

Lindsay Stone, the student manager lead at the Q Center and a senior double-majoring in philosophy and human development, discussed the significance of LGBTQ+ History Month and continuing to pass down this historical knowledge.

“It is important to acknowledge LGBT History Month and teach LGBT history to the next generation because LGBT history has so often been erased from conventional education systems,” Stone wrote. “LGBT history is intersectional and overlaps with several historical movements that are vital to learn to best understand present sociopolitical and cultural issues. Teaching LGBT history to the next generation ensures that queer youth can access the knowledge and resources that will help them navigate their futures.”

Bo Schooley, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, explained why they enjoy attending Q Center events.

“I really love the OUTober events because in high school, when I was totally out, I came from a really small town,” Schooley said. “So, this is the first time I’ve met a large group of people that are just as out and as proud as I am. I love the opportunities that they have and I love that they’re making multiple events out of it, instead of just keeping it one and then forgetting about it for the rest of the month.”

The Q Center will be hosting several other events throughout October to connect LGBTQ+ students and honor LGBTQ+ History Month, according to the Q Center’s OUTober webpage. This series of events includes a Vogue Ball the Q Center will be co-sponsoring with SHADES, a Button Making event on Oct. 17 on the Spine for International Pronoun Day and a double-feature movie night of Jordan Peele’s “Nope” and the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” in collaboration with Late Nite.

Stone described the Q Center’s intentions for their upcoming OUTober proceedings.

“We hope that LGBTQ+ students will enjoy these queer-affirming events that engage the community and provide some fun amid the mid-semester stress,” Stone wrote in an email.