National Coming Out Week is about visibility.

The week's programs - including today's rally on the Diag, a keynote address by performer and author Anna Camilleri and political discussions - are meant to help LGBT students feel more comfortable on campus and bring their issues to the forefront of campus dialogue, said organizers of National Coming Out Week events.

This year's events focus on the connections between LGBT individuals and many other groups within the University community.

LGBT students are not only members of the LGBT community, but are also part of a wide variety of religious and ethnic groups said Jennifer Almquist, assistant director for community development in the Office of LGBT Affairs. It is important that they be able to acknowledge all facets of their identities and use campus resources available to other communities they belong to, she added.

For example, LGBT students should feel comfortable visiting the Career Center, and students of color should be able to seek help in the LGBT Office, she said.

To encourage the celebration of multiple identities, the LGBT Office will host Color Splash, a social gathering for LGBT students of color, tomorrow.

The ultimate goal of these efforts is to ensure that "people don't feel like they have to be in one place or community. They can be their whole self wherever they are," Almquist said.

The separation between the LGBT community and the rest of the University is also a problem for campus activists, said Jaya Kalra, an LSA sophomore and co-chair of the Stonewall Democrats, the LGBT caucus of the College Democrats.

"Because of the secluded nature of what happens with LGBT (issues), there is a lot of ignorance - not intentional ignorance, but people just don't know (what's happening)," Kalra said.

Specifically, many students on campus do not fully understand LGBT efforts to include the phrase "gender identity and expression" in the nondiscrimination clause of the University bylaws, she said.

Organizers hope National Coming Out Week will provide a way for the entire campus to learn more about this issue and others affecting the LGBT community.

"We try to make programming that will include people who might not usually be involved - so they can see that we're not aliens," Kalra said.

Even among LGBT activists, political issues are not always well understood. The Stonewall Democrats will host a discussion tomorrow focusing on recent court cases that have expanded protections for transgender individuals and sanctioned domestic partner benefits. The future of legal rights for the transgender community as well as partner benefits is uncertain; Kalra said the event will allow LGBT activists to "talk about the insecurities we have as a movement."

Overcoming personal insecurities is also a major goal of National Coming Out Week.

Although the campus as a whole has become more sensitive to discrimination, coming out is still difficult, said LSA junior Mike Wright.

"Coming out is always an ongoing process, and you never know how people are going to react," he said.

College is an especially difficult time for many LGBT students because it is during this time that people often begin the process of coming out, he said.

The programs and the strong presence of LGBT advocacy groups this week help remind LGBT students they are part of a supportive community and hopefully allow them to feel safe coming out, Almquist said.

To help students with the process of coming out, the LGBT Office will begin a support group tomorrow for students who want additional assistance and advice.

Organizers and LGBT community members hope this week's programs will also help LGBT students find their place in the larger community on campus and encourage straight students to support their LGBT peers.

"If (National Coming Out Week) helps someone to come out of the closet or some straight person to be an ally, even if it's just one, it's making a big difference," Wright said.