AU Queers and Allies began National Coming Out Week on Saturday.
"National Coming Out Week represented the freedom that LGBT deserve to live openly and out," said Queers and Allies Executive Director John Marzabadi.
Marzabadi said this year's Coming Out Week would pay homage to people of the past and present who have served, and want to serve, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
There will be several events that will take place during the week, including "S+M 101: An Interactive Workshop" and a Safe Space training session, according to a flyer for the event.
This year, KPU decided to partner with Queers and Allies to bring Judy Shepard in as the keynote speaker for the week's festivities - something that Marzabadi said he greatly anticipates. Shepard's son, Matthew, died in 1998 as the result of an anti-gay crime that led to increased local and national attention to the issue of hate crimes legislation. Shepard has spoken on behalf of the LGBT community to eliminate homophobia and increase acceptance of the LGBT people ever since, Marzabadi said.
A list of all the events and their times and locations can be found on the AU Queers and Allies' Facebook group Web page.
-ANNA TUMAN
