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Celebrate ‘Coming Out Day’ on the Plaza

Duke to celebrate LGBT community, diversity and inclusion on Oct. 8

Duke Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity staff members and volunteers pass out
Duke Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity staff members and volunteers pass out "Love=Love" T-shirts during Coming Out Day on the Bryan Center Plaza.

Nikki Smith works with undergraduate and graduate students every day in the Duke Career Center and knows a student’s identity can strongly impact how they experience the world.Since arriving at Duke, she has volunteered every year at Coming Out Day, handing out “Love=Love” T-shirts on the Bryan Center Plaza. “I want staff, faculty and students to know this is a community where people care about each other, that they do so in a visible way and they understand the holistic view, that love does equal love,” said Smith, an assistant director in Duke Career Center’s Counseling and Programs. On Oct. 8, Smith will be handing out T-shirts again when Duke celebrates Coming Out Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Bryan Center Plaza. Duke staff, faculty and students are invited to attend.Coming Out Day is nationally observed on Oct. 11 every year to bring awareness to coming out, being out and LGBT issues.  The national civil awareness day and celebration is in its 27th year, and Duke’s event will be held on a weekday to bring together campus performance groups, student organizations and other community members.Duke’s Coming Out Day, sponsored by the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (CSGD), will be carnival-themed this year, with entertainers, free food and a live DJ. CSGD staff and volunteers will distribute free “Love=Love” T-shirts to Duke community members who show a DukeCard ID. “This is really us just celebrating life and love and the amazing diversity we have within our Duke community,” said India Pierce, CSGD program coordinator. “I’m hoping that people who come to celebrate Coming Out Day with us and grab a shirt are amazed by the support we have on campus.”Visit the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity website for more information about Coming Out Day and other upcoming campus events, trainings and discussion groups.