Gay and straight students will celebrate their sexuality with rainbow cupcakes and a competitive “Fruit Bowl” in recognition of National Coming Out Day.
AC Stokes, the director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs for UF, said LGBT students and straight allies are invited to attend the event, which will be held on the Plaza of the Americas from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today.
“It’s for the LGBT people, for the people who love them and the people they love,” Stokes said about the event.
Mayor Craig Lowe, who is openly gay, is expected to attend, according to Stokes.
Students will be able to participate in the “Fruit Bowl,” a four-part relay championship, where teams will compete in various games.
Ricky Carter, vice president of chapter outreach for Pride Student Union, has been planning the event for weeks.
He said there will be a symbolic wooden door that anyone can walk through and come out with a secret or statement of pride.
Pride Student Union member Jeremy Whitaker, said the recent deaths of LGBT youth across America has given more meaning to this year’s celebration.
“For me, it will make me take more pride in my sexuality to the world,” he said.
