In observance of National Coming Out Day, Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick will discuss his work to support the LGBTQ community on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Ithaca College. His 7 p.m. talk in Clark Lounge, Campus Center, is free and open to the public.
Myrick has been at the forefront of acting in solidarity with LGBTQ communities, seeking to create and maintain city policies and practices that uphold dignity, respect and equity. He has issued mayoral proclamations in observance of National Coming Out Day and International Transgender Day of Visibility, and has flown the Pride flag from atop City Hall.
At the age of 24, Myrick won election in 2011 to become the youngest mayor in Ithaca’s history and the first mayor of African-American heritage. He had previously been elected to the city’s Common Council while still an undergraduate student at Cornell. As mayor, he has championed the welcoming of refugees to Ithaca, vowing to be one of the U.S. cities that pledges to uphold the Paris climate accord and supporting progressive drug policies.
Among other honors, Myrick is the recipient of a John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, which recognizes Americans under the age of 40 who are changing their communities and the country with their commitment to public service. This past spring he was named to the Forbes magazine “30 under 30” list in the area of law and policy.
National Coming Out Day is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and is intended to advance open and respectful dialogue about the lives of LGBTQ Americans and their family and friends. The Ithaca College Center for LGBT Education, Outreach, and Services each year hosts a speaker with ties to the campus or local community in commemoration of the day.
For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/lgbt.