Kent State University’s Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender and Queer
(LGBTQ) Student Center will launch its
Flashes of Pride campaign with a Coming
OUT party on Oct. 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. at
the LGBTQ Student Center located in the
Kent Student Center.

Kent State University’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Student Center is launching its Flashes of Pride campaign with a Coming OUT party on Monday, Oct. 12, from 4-6 p.m. at the LGBTQ Student Center located in the Kent Student Center, lower level 024.

The release party is free, open to the public and features a DJ and refreshments.

“I’m excited that we are unveiling a new way to be visible and show our pride!” says Ken Ditlevson, M.Ed., LPCC-S, director of Kent State’s LGBTQ Student Center. “The Flashes of Pride Coming OUT will be an annual event that will highlight the diversity of our university.”

National Coming OUT Day is Sunday, Oct. 11, but Ditlevson says he wanted the university community to be able to celebrate together, so they created their event for Monday outside the office of the LGBTQ Student Center.

“The event will include a poster release featuring 42 people from the Kent State community coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer or however that person identifies,” says Ditlevson.

Ditlevson will make some brief remarks at 4:30 p.m. to welcome everyone and highlight the goals and mission of the event.

“I visited several other universities that were doing similar projects, and I thought this would be an easy, inexpensive way to help build our community,” says Ditlevson. “I hope we have a great response.”

To learn more about the LGBTQ Student Center or its other events, visit www.kent.edu/lgbtq.