Saturday, October 24, 2026
Local community organization Freeport Pride hosted a celebration of National Coming Out Day in Freeport to celebrate the local pride community. People from advocates to allies went to Jeremy’s Ale House on the Nautical Mile for the community event.
Freeport Pride’s event was on Oct. 16, and not only focused on pride, but on community building through its scholarship fund. The organization has previously raised funds to support anti-bullying initiatives, suicide prevention and advocacy for LGBTQ issues. Freeport Public Schools officially accepted a $2,000 donation from Freeport Pride on Aug. 26.
National Coming Out Day celebrates the concept of a person “coming out of the closet,” which is when one decides to publicly announce or practice the sexual or gender identity they ascribe to with the typical assumption that it is contrary to what was presumed by others. Members of the LGBTQ community and its supporters observe it nationwide on Oct. 11.
The day was first celebrated in the U.S. in 1988, inspired by feminist activism and an affront to homophobia. New Mexican psychologist Robert Eichberg and lesbian politician and activist Jean O’Leary from New York inaugurated the first celebration and chose Oct. 11 since it was the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights from the previous year.
Freeport Pride has been awarded several grants for its work during less than a few years of operation. The organization plans on announcing further events and initiatives that it invites the community to be a part of, regardless of their personal identities.
