Correspondent
MAPLEWOOD — A National Coming Out Day event was held Friday, Oct. 11, outside town hall.
The event included speeches about the difficulties members of the the LGBTQIA+ community can face and the importance of being able to “come out.” There was a flag raising ceremony and free ice cream and other giveaways.
National Coming Out Day is an annual LGBTQ awareness day that supports people “coming out of the closet.” The event was first held Oct. 11, 1988 and is now recognized in all 50 states and internationally. The founders of the event believed that homophobia “thrives in an atmosphere of silence and ignorance” and once family and friends know they have loved ones who are LGBTQ, their perspective can change…