While many students, faculty and staff celebrated National Coming Out Day yesterday, making a political statement about sexual orientation is still difficult for some members of the University community.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community "is in many ways the very last minority group that you can stand up and publicly attack and not be immediately condemned from all sides," Interim Dean of Students Allen Groves said. "In other words, with African-American students or with Hispanic/Latino students, you just don't see people saying bad things about a race of people. But this is the one group that many people feel they can say are second-class citizens."
Queer and Allied Activism, a University student group supporting the advancement of LGBT rights, helped members of the University community create a collective work of art titled "Hands Against Hatred" in the Amphitheater as a part of National Coming Out Day. Volunteers traced their hands in various colors to show their support for the event. Those wishing to identify themselves as a victim of a hate crime at the University traced their hands in black on the banner, according to QuAA co-president Leah Funk. She added that the anonymous addition of many black hands highlighted the reality that hate crimes against LGBT students, faculty and staff do happen at the University and often go unreported.
Joy Pugh, program coordinator for the LGBT Resource Center, said events such as this are important in encouraging individuals to participate.
"I think we have probably lots of faculty and staff members who are LGBT and who aren't open about that or wouldn't go to more public events," said Joy Pugh, program coordinator for the LGBT Resource Center, an office sponsored by the Dean of Students. "That's a reason why something like National Coming Out Day is important worldwide. It's this chance for a mass number of people to come out at once, and there is safety in numbers."
Members of QuAA helped organize yesterday's events. QuAA was formed in 2005 by members of the University's Queer Student Union who wanted to be more politically active. As a social and cultural student group, there are certain politically related activities QSU cannot endorse, such as events like yesterday's, because of University guidelines. Political groups, like those comparable to University Democrats or College Republicans, have more freedom to take a stance on issues.
"In every community there are people who are activists and people who aren't," said Wyatt Fore, former QuAA president and founding member. "QSU has its place, but those in QuAA said 'we're tired of being secret.' QuAA puts a human face on these issues."
Groves noted that LGBT status does not necessarily indicate a particular political persuasion.
"There's often a misconception of the LGBT community that it has some narrow, one-dimensional focus," Groves said. "You have some who are very conservative, you have some who are moderate and you have some who are liberal. I think QSU probably struggles with how to serve so broadly a community without alienating all the bits and pieces of it."
Showing their support for yesterday's events, some staff working in the Dean of Students Office, which sponsors the LGBT Resource Center, wore rainbow ribbons or the "gay? fine be me" shirts distributed by the LGBT Resource Center last spring.
Many people participating in National Coming Out Day at the University said they hoped the day's events would highlight the existence of an active LGBT community and the reality of hate crimes against it.
Those in the Dean of Students Office wearing ribbons of support echoed a similar sentiment.
"I support these students in my community who wish to be open about who they are and honest," Groves said.
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