The University community is encouraged to share messages of support during the #CalUOutandProud campaign..
Cal U will join the national observance of LGBT History Month in October.
“We want to encourage and demonstrate that we value inclusivity at the University,” said Sheleta Camarda-Webb, the University’s interim chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and member of the President’s leadership team.
LGBT History Month was founded in 1994 to provide role models, build community and acknowledge the important milestones in the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
It includes National Coming Out Day on October 11; the anniversary of the first march on Washington by LGBT people on October 14, 1979; Spirit Day on October 20, in which people wear purple in support of LGBT youth; Ally Week, which celebrates allies against LGBT bullying; and the anniversary of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard’s murder on Oct. 12, 1998, which led to the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
At Cal U, students, faculty and staff will be encouraged to support National Coming Out Day by participating in the #CalUOutandProud campaign. Those who wish to participate may post a positive image or selfie and message to Instagram using the hashtag and tagging @CalUofPa. Some of those messages will be “re-grammed,” or shared, on the University’s Instagram account.
Other events during October are still being planned.