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Cathy Pareto, one of the plaintiffs in the marriage equality case in Florida, holds up a picture of her family as she stands in the crowd outside of the July 2 hearing that took place before Judge Sarah Zabel in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Miami.
On Friday, Oct. 10, LGBTQA Initiatives, part of Student Affairs’ Multicultural Programs and Services department, will celebrate National Coming Out Day with events at both Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay campuses. The MMC event will also feature guest speakers Catherina Pareto and Karla Arguello, FIU alumni, who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit for marriage equality in Florida. National Coming Out Day promotes a safe world for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals to live truthfully and openly.
“2014 marks the 26th anniversary of National Coming Out Day,” said Gisela P. Vega, associate director, MPAS – LGBTQA Initiatives. “It’s still just as important for our community to support equality for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression/identity. Our guest speakers, Cathy and Karla, are the perfect couple to share what life is like without marriage equality and why equality should be for everyone.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, one out of every two Americans has someone close to them who is gay or lesbian. For transgender people, that number is only one in 10.
Both events are free and open to the public, and will include a Coming Out gallery, testimonials by faculty, staff, students and alumni and a tabling fair with community and campus LGBTQA resources. In addition, DJ “Citizen Jane,” Miami’s winner for Favorite DJ, and Pink Flamingo Awards will be at the BBC campus where pizza will also be provided.
Cathy and Karla will be speaking at 4 p.m. at MMC in the GC Pit. To learn more about their story, please see the video below.
