{"id":902,"date":"2025-10-15T05:35:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T05:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/902\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T05:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T05:35:11","slug":"bethlehem-marks-national-coming-out-day-with-color-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/902\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem marks National Coming Out Day with color and community"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 More than 50 people gathered Friday morning at Payrow Plaza to celebrate National Coming Out Day with chalk, music and messages of resilience during the \u201cWe Will Not Be Erased\u201d rally \u2014 a nationwide day of action organized by For Our Future PA and partner organizations.<\/p>\n

Participants chalked rainbow crosswalks and sidewalks outside Bethlehem City Hall and the Bethlehem Area Public Library, joining communities across the country in a show of solidarity with LGBTQ+ people and in response to recent efforts to remove Pride symbols from public spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our symbols of pride are erased, we will create them again. When our voices are silenced, we will speak louder together,\u201d said Francisca Sepulveda, regional organizing director of For Our Future PA. \u201cNational Coming Out Day is about celebrating who we are, and this action makes that visibility undeniable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The movement began after the removal of rainbow crosswalks in Orlando and other cities, including one that memorialized the 49 people killed in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. Organizers said the chalking event was about more than restoring color \u2014 it was about visibility, unity and standing up against the erasure of LGBTQ+ identities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The two-hour event featured speeches from community leaders, including Rev. Elizabeth Goudy of the Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown City Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach, Eastern PA Trans Equity Project Executive Director Corinne Goodwin and Robin Gow of Queer and Trans Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cMutual aid strengthens our community,\u201d Sepulveda said. \u201cIt\u2019s critically important to support each other, especially during these difficult times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attendees Julie and Spencer said they came to show support for visibility and community.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing Out Day is a fantastic day for visibility and being with our community, spreading positivity and reminding certain powers that be just how present we are,\u201d Julie said.<\/p>\n

Julie added that the event was also about pushing back against restrictions on self-expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk about freedom in this country \u2014 that\u2019s supposed to be what America stands for,\u201d she said. \u201cYet there are so many people trying to force others into a box, tell them who they\u2019re supposed to love, what they\u2019re supposed to wear. That is not freedom. If people really believe in the value of freedom, then they should let people live the way they want to live. Nobody\u2019s being harmed by this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julie said that rising hostility toward trans people and other marginalized groups makes public visibility even more crucial.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about joy being resistance,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople are going to keep living their lives, and that should be celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Spencer echoed those sentiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica was founded on the idea that you should be able to be who you want to be so long as it doesn\u2019t interfere with anyone else,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to support that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event filled Payrow Plaza with chalk art, bubbles and handmade signs bearing affirmations and calls for equality. Attendees shared photos and videos using the hashtags #WeWillNotBeErased and #ChalkTheRainbow to connect with similar actions nationwide.<\/p>\n

Partner organizations included Queer and Trans Lehigh Valley, PA-7 United, Penn Policy Center, The Working Families Party, Indivisible Lehigh Valley Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley Stands Up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 More than 50 people gathered Friday morning at Payrow Plaza to celebrate National Coming Out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":903,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":["post-902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}