Iowa State campus is currently celebrating Coming Out Week. In honor of this week, here are some fun ways that people can and have come out to friends and family members.

1. Do it with baked goods

If pregnant woman can reveal their baby’s gender with a cake, why couldn’t somebody reveal their sexuality with one? If you want to go simple, you can just write your sexuality on the cake with frosting. Another way is to bake it like a king cake for Mardi Gras, but instead of a small plastic baby, you would just put a pride flag on the inside and whoever finds it wins. For the more experienced baker, there is always the option of getting fancy with food coloring and turning the inside of the cake into a rainbow.

2. Come out casually over a family dinner

Nothing says family bonding quite like, “I’m gay, could you please pass the potatoes?” This is one of the easiest options and the best way to come out to multiple people at once. However, you should probably wait until a rare moment when nobody is trying to swallow anything, in order to avoid any choking. No matter how casually you do it, some people might still be a little taken aback. This technique can also be effective at work gatherings and dinner with friends.

3. Use the literal approach

What better way to come out of the closet than to actually come out of the closet? Simply sneak into the closet of whomever you are trying to tell, then wait until the opportunity presents itself and pop out. This usually needs to be followed with a retort such as “Guess what?”, or “I have something to tell you.” The most important things to remember in this situation are not to fall asleep while you’re waiting and to be careful if you are using the closet in somebody’s bedroom because you never know what might be going on when you pop out.

4. Take advantage of the kiss cam

This approach can get a little difficult, because it requires having a significant other and being at an event large enough to have a kiss cam. If the opportunity presents itself however, you should take full advantage of it. Simply wait until the kiss cam pops onto you, turn and kiss your partner for the whole stadium to see. It has been done before and creates quite the touching moment. The only thing left to do is show it to your friends and family, then you’re good!

5. Use the power of music

Many songs were written for the purpose of coming out or at least they can be easily construed that way. Some examples are “I’m coming out” by Diana Ross, “Same love” by Macklemore or “Reflection” from Mulan. One of the easiest ways to use this is to sit whoever you want to tell down, let them know there is something you want to talk to them about, then turn on your song of choice on full blast. If you feel that it would help, you can also incorporate some type of dance into your song in order to really get your point across.

6. Greeting cards have many purposes

While it is not exactly something they would sell at Hallmark, if you want to come out from a distance, you can make your own greeting card. Some people decide to get creative and fill the card with rainbow glitter. You could even take out those crafting scissors and make your very own pop out card so your announcement of your sexuality really comes out at them.

It takes a lot of courage to be able to express who you really are. The important thing to remember about Coming Out Week is that this is your story to share and you can do it however you want and in whatever way makes you feel the most comfortable. If you have any questions regarding coming out or LGBT resources at Iowa State, feel free to visit the LGBTSS Center located in 1064 Student Services. They are open every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.