The Bisexuals, Gay Men, L^bians and Allies for Diversity Monthly Newsletter
NCOD Schedule
Your Guide to THE DAY!!!
10-3 Visit B-GLAD’s table in the Pit
12:00 Meet in the Pit for the NCOD
MARCH!!!
12:15 March Begins!!
—After the march, there will be
music, readings, etc. at the
Open Mike (follow the crowd!)
8:30 Meet at CaffeTrio if you want
to carpool to...
9:00 Mixer at BOXERS! Everyone's
welcome!
National Coming Out
Pay for some is a kind
of religious holiday
by Sam Beck
About 3 years ago, I walked
through the Pit for the first time during C-
Tops, Soon, I was walking by the Pit about
every day on my trek to or from Hinton
James. A doe-eyed out-of-stater, I wit
nessed the periodic bombardment of the Pit
by campus groups, each promoting its own
particular cause and representing its own
particular subset of the university commu
nity. I began regarding these pseudo
demonstrations as intrusions because they
excluded me for not being like them. I was
not black or an environmental activist or a
fraternity member or a confessor to God.
These people seemed to be flaunting their
ideas and differences from me in my face.
I disliked the way that members
of B-GLAD seemed to wear their sexuality
on their sleeve. I saw what I perceived to
be a uniform group of people with whom I
had little in common, except for possibly
homosexuality. Basically, I was having a
difficult time admitting that I was gay. I
NCC
NcU
thought that homosexuality was and should
remain a non-issue, and I perceived gays’
flaunting of their sexuality on National
Coming Out Day or during Celebration
Week as detrimental to acceptance of
queers as equals.
Then, a most glorious thing
happened. I came out for the first time to a
close friend. It was the most liberating
thing I’ve ever done; to feel totally honest
with a person, especially having kept this
important part of me hidden my whole life,
was the most exhilarating feeling I’ve ever
had. The hardest thing to say was “I’m
gay,” but when I finally could say it
without shame or fear, I could joyfully
reveal the part of me no one had ever seen.
And faster than you can say
“jackrabbit,” all of my friends knew that I
was gay. And suddenly, I was very proud
of being gay and would readily admit it. I
became much more intolerant of
homophobia and ignorance. I realized that
what I had originally perceived to be a
non-issue was in fact (duh!) a pretty big
issue if it had taken me 19 years to realize
and admit it (especially if I had to hide it
from my parents out of fear of emotional
and economic detachment).
Once I was able to be proud of
being gay, I enjoyed seeing others be proud
of being gay. And I appreciated how much
courage it takes to stand in the Pit under
I feel comfortable doing that. Coming out
is a lifelong process—even if friends and
family know, gays still have to decide
whether to tell new acquaintances about
their sexuality. It should be a non-issue,
but it’s not. This is why demonstrations in
the Pit are necessary, though not just for
gays. We have a responsibility to inform
straights of the difference between being
straight and being gay. Also, to those gays
who aren’t ready to come out or who have
just come out, we have a responsibility to
show them our lack of shame and fear.
National Coming Out Day is an
extremely important day for gays because
of the often difficult nature of coming out
It is like a religious holiday, in a sense,
because it is a rite of passage that every
gay must experience in order to move
forward in his understanding of himself. It
marks a turning point in that person’s hfe.
The person shifts from being secretive
about his sexuality to being proud of it
Coming out allows gays to have more
meaningful relationships with other
people.
Also, many straights may not
know anyone gay or have not been
exposed to the gay commumty. It is
important for straights to understand and
respect the difficulty of coming out and to
be able to celebrate the coming out
experience with us because in their
lifetime, a big percentage of straights will
probably have someone close, a family
member or friend, come out to them.
Now, as I walk through the Pit to
go to the library,' I view it as a window to
things I may be ignorant of. Whether it be
Middle Eastern dancing or the pagan
organization, I afford the group the respect
it deserves and learn from its existence
within the university community. Respect
National Coming Out Day and what it
represents to gays. Feel free to celebrate
this joyous occasion with us. ^
INSIDB
LAMSPA
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Editorials
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Editorials & Poetry
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Creative Writing
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Short Story
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Calendar & Info.