This Saturday, a number of organizations including the Stonewall Center and Tapestry Health, a non-profit organization providing health services to communities in Western Massachusetts, will mark the 15th anniversary of National Coming Out Day.

The Pride Alliance will host a rally on the Student Union steps from noon to 1 p.m. to allow student speakers to share stories of their challenges in becoming openly gay. Michael McKinstry, a member of the steering committee for the Pride Alliance said the purpose of the rally is to allow students who are already “out” to talk to people and encourage others to not be ashamed of their homosexuality.

“The point of the day is to break down the silence and to stress that there should not be a stigma about coming out,” said McKintsry.

The Stonewall center will also encourage students who support the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to wear white shirts and blue jeans.

In honor of the day, Tapestry Health will have a table on the sidewalk near BankNorth on Main Street in downtown Northampton. The table will provide material about services geared toward the GLBT community and information about Tapestry’s general health care services. In addition, the center will give out condoms, balloons and cookies.

Tapestry Health staff members will also be wearing purple ribbons to commemorate National Coming Out Day.

“This is our third or fourth year doing this,” said Lucy Hartry of Tapestry Health. “We gave everyone a ribbon to wear tomorrow so we would have the opportunity to explain to people why we are wearing them.”