City Marks 10th Annual National Coming Out Day With Memorial Park Event

Pasadena will celebrate its 10th annual National Coming Out Day Saturday, Oct. 10, with music, resource tables, crafts, giveaways and a car display at the Memorial Park Band Shell. The city says the gathering commemorates its efforts to foster an inclusive community.

In announcing the celebration, the city said coming out “holds power and still matters.”

“Sharing our stories raises awareness and shifts perspectives,” the announcement said.

The event supports people who have come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex or asexual. It also supports those whose sexual orientation or gender identity is not specifically named in the LGBTQIA+ acronym.

This year’s keynote speaker is Jer-Adrianne “Juju” Lelliott. Lelliott is executive director of Newcomers Access Center, a nonprofit that says it helps refugee and immigrant families connect with services and resources. Newcomers Access Center says Lelliott has more than 15 years of health and human-services experience.

Lelliott serves as vice chair of the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission and holds the District 5 seat on Pasadena’s Northwest Commission. The county commission has 15 members and held its first meeting June 11, 2024. Newcomers Access Center says Lelliott was appointed to the commission in March 2025.

According to the city, Lelliott lives in Bungalow Heaven, and Lelliott’s doctoral research at USC Rossier focused on perinatal care for trans, genderqueer and nonbinary parents.

Participating organizations include the SGV LGBTQ Center, Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, PFLAG Pasadena and Great Autos Car Club, along with others.

The Pasadena Public Health Department, Pasadena Public Library and Pasadena Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department are presenting the program.

Pasadena’s first city celebration was held in 2016. It has since been staged at City Hall, Pasadena Central Library and Memorial Park. In 2020 it was held virtually on Zoom and Instagram Live.

In March 2026, Pasadena adopted Ordinance No. 7467, a local anti-discrimination law. The characteristics it protects include actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The ordinance addresses discrimination in private employment, housing, education and commerce, and it allows aggrieved people to bring civil actions.

The national observance falls on Oct. 11. Jean O’Leary and Robert Eichberg organized the first one in 1988, on the first anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. According to Cornell University Library’s Human Rights Campaign archive, 18 states participated that year and all 50 by 1990. The National Coming Out Day organization merged with the Human Rights Campaign Fund in 1993.

The celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Memorial Park Band Shell, 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Admission is free, and the event is open to all ages. Giveaways are available while supplies last. The Metro A Line’s Memorial Park Station is nearby.

The National Weather Service forecast issued Oct. 8 called for patchy fog before 11 a.m. Saturday, then mostly cloudy skies with a high near 78 degrees. It gave a 20% chance of showers Saturday night.

“All are welcome!” the city said.