For the 25th anniversary of National Coming Out Day on October 11, Houses across campus showed support for bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and queer students with rainbow cakes at dinner and study breaks in honor of the day.

According to W. Powell Eddins ’16, a political co-chair of the QSA, this year’s events purposely took on a new tone that “framed coming out day as a discussion, rather than ‘forcing’ people to come out.”

“[This year] was respectful to people who are in the closet, as well as those who are more marginalized in the BGLTQ community,” Eddins said. “We need to continue looking at how coming out affects every letter of the acronym.”

In recognition of the day, BGLTQ tutors in several undergraduate Houses spearheaded events to cultivate discussion in the Houses. In Winthrop, tutor Kip C. Richardson organized a table in the dining hall with candy and information on BGLTQ resources.

“We’re here to remind everyone that Winthrop is an affirming place for people of all backgrounds,” said Richardson, who also hosted an informal open house in his suite on Thursday night. “Sometimes just sitting at a table with rainbow flags can be a powerful act.”

Richardson, a BGLTQ tutor for Winthrop, mentioned the importance of giving students “space and time to reflect on the meaningfulness of the coming out process.” National Coming Out Day is also a time for straight people to come out as BGLTQ allies, he said.

In addition to House festivities, there were several events organized by Queer Students and Allies and the Office of BGLTQ Student Life, including an EqualiTEA hosted by the Lowell House Masters on Thursday, a forum for sharing coming out narratives on Friday, and a night at the Queen’s Head pub on Saturday.