Coming Out Week, sponsored by Queers and Allies (Q&A), begins this Sunday, Oct. 9 and will last until Friday, Oct. 14.
“Coming Out Week is basically a celebration of coming out, not just if you are gay, but as an ally, because that’s also incredibly important on campus—to know that people support you,” Senior Geography and Nursing Major and Co-President of Q&A Cristian Raether said. “It’s an important week on campus.”
Despite what its name might imply, the emphasis of Coming Out Week is not only on those who identify as queer, but also on creating a supportive community through students coming out as allies.
“To me, Coming Out Week is more about the allies coming out; it’s focused on establishing a stronger community of out-queers and out-allies so that those in the closet can feel less alone,” Senior Scandinavian Studies and Theatre Major Ethan Bjelland said. “Coming Out Week is important because of the connections we can all make.”
One such community-building event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 10, in the Courtyard Cafe: Queer We Are. This is an opportunity for students to share their coming out stories, as members of the queer community, and as allies.
“That’s my favorite event because it shows how incredibly brave some people are and how difficult it was for them to come out, and how strong they are as a person to not only be comfortable with it, but to tell a bunch of people they don’t know,” Raether said.
“I think sometimes that is healing for people, to say ‘this is what happened to me,’” Junior Biology Major and Co-President of Q&A Mara Edison said. “It’s a good thing to go [to the event] as an ally, because you’re learning from them and listening to them.”
Wednesday’s BBQ&A is another event focused on the week-long goal of making connections.
“If you don’t have time to come to the meetings, that’s a great place to meet people,” Raether said.
Other events include a speaker at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11 in the Courtyard, a Racheal Kilgour concert at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13 and the painting of the rock and chalking of campus sidewalks at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday night, which kick-offs the week-long event.
“It’s a really cool event because the next morning the whole campus can see what we’ve written, and it stays for pretty much the whole week,” Raether said.
The week will conclude with the Drag Show at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 in the Evelyn Young Dining Room.
“The drag show is a great event because it ends Coming Out Week so fantastically and the whole campus is there,” Raether said.
The Drag Show is one of the most important facets of Coming Out Week, Raether said.
“Probably the best thing about it is that the whole campus gets to participate.” Senior Classics and Political Science Major Nick Prince said. “It’s about proving that, at Gustavus, we’re a community that loves and accepts everyone of all orientations.”
Edison emphasized the mission of the week; creating community.
“My hope for this week is that we can try to not only make ourselves visible on campus as the Q&A group, but as the community of LGBTQ&A. I want it to be welcoming, I want us to include everyone,” she said
“It’s a week of unconditional love for who we are. It’s about solidarity, community, empowerment, justice, networking, learning, understanding, faith, liminality and experimentation,” Bjelland said.
Edison shared Bjelland’s sentiments. “ Let’s not just coexist, let’s try to understand each other.”
Anyone looking to get involved with Coming Out Week is welcome to attend and participate in the many events throughout the week. Q&A will be tabling for volunteers to perform at the drag show.
Queers and Allies will also host other events throughout the year, including Safe Zone Training in the fall and spring, a Transgender speaker on Nov. 17, 2011, the Big Gay Conference in March, a screening of For The Bible Tells Me So and an Ellis concert in the spring. They also have meetings every Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. in the Women’s Awareness Center (WAC).