Pasadena Celebrates National Coming Out Day

The Pasadena Libraries and Information Services, Parks, Recreation and Community Services, and Public Health departments will host Pasadena’s National Coming Out Day Celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Pasadena City Hall Bogaard Courtyard, 100 N. Garfield Ave.

By News Desk

This event supports those who have come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and those who identify with a sexual orientation or gender identity that is not included within the LGBTQIA+ acronym. The evening will be filled with music, resource tables, crafts, speakers, free HIV testing, and giveaways. This year’s panelists are Oliver Alpuche, DTLA Proud founder, Camila Camaléon, President for the SGV LGBTQ+ Center, and Councilmember Jason Lyon with panel moderation facilitated by Department of Information and Technology Chief Information Officer, Phillip Leclair.

Los Angeles born Oliver Alpuche was raised in Highland Park to Belizean Immigrant parents. Alpuche’s career grew in retail but when challenged to build an authentic running community for Nike, his true passion for community building came to light. Living downtown and seeing diversity and acceptance paired with his passion for community connection inspired him to build an authentic queer community meeting space where people can connect and build strong relationships in their city. In 2015, he opened Redline, a local gay bar in the historic core. In 2016, he founded DTLA Proud with the focus of community building and in 2022 secured the first Queer Community Center in DTLA, A+R=T located at the Bloc.

Camila Camaléon is a San Gabriel Valley based writer, President for the SGV LGBTQ+ Center, Playfulness Consultant, Zumba instructor, and artist. By centering radical curiosity, joy, and power, Camaleón’s scope of work invites methods of transformative healing justice, media justice, and curated engagement as expressions of healing practices for folks of all genders and sexualities. With a commitment to the Black Femme Radical Imagination, her expertise in the soundscapes is a transgression of boundaries, knowledge, compassion, and empathy to build worlds in collaboration of our collective future.

Jason Lyon was born in Kentucky and grew up in North Carolina. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lyon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures. He worked as a documentary film producer in New York before moving to Southern California in 1998. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the UCLA School of Law. Today, Lyon is a partner with the Pasadena law firm, Hahn & Hahn, where he practices business litigation with an emphasis in partnership disputes. Lyon moved to Pasadena from the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles in 2010. In addition to serving on the boards of several nonprofits, Lyon has held a variety of positions in public service including Chair of the Pasadena Planning Commission. Lyon was elected to serve District 7 on June 7, 2022.

Moderator Phillip Leclair joined the City of Pasadena in 2008 and as Chief Information Officer (CIO) he is responsible for leading the City’s technology initiatives and managing overall IT operations, security and customer service for the Department of Information Technology.

Nearly one in two Americans knows someone who is gay or lesbian, and one in 10 knows someone who is transgender. Coming out holds power and still matters—whether as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or asexual. Sharing our stories, helps raise awareness and change perspectives. When people know someone who is LGBTQIA+, they are far more likely to support equality under the law.

The City of Pasadena is proud to be an inclusive city, accepting of everyone regardless of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, marital status, socio-economic status, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or disability.