LaGuardia Community College Celebrates National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ History Month With a Variety of Activities

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY— (September 27, 2024) – LaGuardia Community College/CUNY is hosting and participating in a variety of events to celebrate National Coming Out Day (October 11) and LGBTQ History Month.

The LGBT Network, a partner of the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, is celebrating National Coming Out Day with a Street Fair on September 28, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., along 31st Avenue (between 33rd Street and 35th Street in Astoria, Queens). The street fair will include drag performances, games, program information, and tabling by community resources.

The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives is presenting the Student Research Project Showcase on October 10 at 1 p.m., in Room E-242. The showcase will feature the student project titled, “New York City LGBTQIA+ Mapping Initiative, which showcases four LGBTQIA+ spaces that cultivate joy, wellness, activism, and hope in New York City through photography and oral histories. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with the students who photographed and interviewed important people and places for this project. Attendees can also learn how to contribute to the map.

The showcase will also feature a student documentary titled, “The Children of the Rainbow Curriculum,” featuring a conversation between LaGuardia and Wagner Archives Director of Public History Programs Stephen Petrus and former City Council Member and LGBTQIA+ activist Daniel Dromm. This 30-minute documentary examines events surrounding the 1992 Children of the Rainbow Curriculum when advocates for multicultural and inclusive education in New York City were opposed by opponents who objected to references to families headed by same-sex couples.

Participation in this event is made possible by the generous funding from the New York City Council LGBTQIA Caucus and the Office of the Mayor, and is supported by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives and LGBTQIA+ Programs at Queens College.

LaGuardia’s Women’s Center and LGBTQ+ Hub are hosting a “Coming Out and/or Inviting In: A Dialogue and Celebration of Our Authentic Selves” on Friday, October 11 from 2- 4 p.m. in Room MB-08.

“This would be an opportunity for students of all gender identities and orientations to come together and express themselves, on their terms, in community,” says Deema Bayrakdar, Director of The Women’s Center & LGBTQ+ Hub. “It’s also an opportunity to celebrate identity and living authentic lives. In this session, we could also dialogue about what ‘coming out and ‘inviting in’ means for them and what resonates for them. This gathering will also give students an opportunity to visit and learn about the resources available at The Women’s Center and LGBTQ+ Hub.”

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

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