Following the high of Homecoming, Temple continued the excitement with the kick off of National Coming Out Week (NCOW). Recognized since 2008, NCOW is an annual event to raise awareness for the LGBTQIA community. It commenced just one day after National Coming Out Day, an event recognized on the international level.
Reporter Brian Roche spoke to Ray Smeriglio about NCOW and what the event means for the LGBTQIA. When asked about the point of NCOW, Smeriglio said its goal is “to create an environment that people are comfortable with learning more about the community, becoming an ally, and coming out if you’re a person in the community that has yet to express that outwardly.“
During each day of NCOW, Temple will feature a new activity. According to Smeriglio, “the panels and the different things that [they] do really create an open discourse so that if you don’t come out during this week, you’re inclined to learn more about the community and eventually come out.”
Temple’s NCOW runs from October 12th through October 16th. The hope is that schools across the region will eventually come together to have a single NCOW that would feature activities across different campuses.
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