Outfitted in black, with education as a weapon, members of the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community took to the streets this week to promote pride and understanding at MSU.
Today marks the end of National Coming Out Days at MSU. All week, students participated in activities to raise awareness and celebrate pride in the LBGT community.
It was amazing to see so much energy and thought put into promoting the week's cause. Students participated in everything from the solemn to the alarming - as a result, many were educated.
Celebrations such as National Coming Out Days are important tools in building tolerance in a not so politically correct world.
The campus setting is a perfect place to promote such a cause because it is an area rooted in education and understanding.
Teaching tolerance is also easier with younger people, because their views of the world are still being shaped.
This year's aim was to address LBGT issues across different backgrounds and experiences.
"The greatest change in Coming Out Days is that the LBGT community is embracing a multicultural, multi-oppression framework for approaching LBGT issues," said Brent Bilodeau, assistant for LBGT Concerns at MSU.
A candlelight vigil held Tuesday night commemorated LBGT people of color and members of the international LBGT community.
Wednesday marked MSU's second annual Act Out, when students wore black T-shirts covered with hate slurs and handed out more than 7,000 flyers explaining why "hate language" hurts.
Some passers-by might have been offended by words such as "dyke" and "homo" on the T-shirts and the painted-on bruises participants wore to symbolize hate crimes.
This was exactly the point of the exercise.
Hate crimes and language are an ugly reality in society and it is important to realize how damaging they can be.
Victims of crimes often are not able to speak out for themselves, so the actions taken this week by Act Out participants gave these people a voice.
National Coming Out Days began 16 years ago when members of the LBGT community organized the biggest march on Washington at that time.
Since then, the legacy of the march has been continued and expanded to include an entire week of celebration and remembrance.
The underlying theme of tolerance and understanding promoted by National Coming Out Days should not stop just because the week is over.
There might not be students in black T-shirts handing out flyers on the street corners after today, but that doesn't mean everyone else should forget their message.
We are all responsible for the perpetuation of hate crimes and language.
Remember the message of this week and apply it every week by promoting tolerance and understanding of everyone.
