Author: Danielle Sherman
Coming Out Week, presented by Occidental’s Queer Straight Alliance (QSA), was an activity-packed five days, beginning Monday, Oct. 6 and ending Friday, Oct. 10. The purpose of the program was to provide resources and support for Oxy’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Transsexual Queer Questioning Intersexual (LGBTQI) community, and to provide a safe space for coming out.
The week began with Monday’s QSA kickoff, which was held at lunchtime in the quad. Here students could listen to music, get free rainbow pins to wear in support, and hear about the week’s programs from QSA E-Board members.
Wednesday was the LGBTQI Community Dinner, which was open only to LGBTQI students. “It was a safe place to talk and connect with people,” QSA president Sammy Suboh (junior) said. For those who are new or not open about their sexuality on campus, the Thai food dinner was designed to help them see that there is a community there for them.
“One of our goals [. . .] is to show that QSA has a presence on campus so closeted LGBT students will feel empowered,” QSA vice president Nicole Copti (sophomore) said, “I feel that we did a good job of making our presence known.”
To explore the relationship between religion and homosexuality, the Center for Gender Equity showed the movie For the Bible Tells me So on Thursday. The Center provides, according the their website, “resources on issues regarding gender, sexuality, identity and the diverse community of Occidental College.”
The movie was the event of the week with the highest attendance. “It was great to see that there is a way for religion and homosexuality to find a common ground,” Copti said. The movie explored the Bible’s take on homosexuality and how homosexuals can be at peace with their sexuality and their faith. There was a panel and discussion after the showing.”A lot of people were moved by the film and speakers,” Suboh said.
The last event, which took place on Friday, was also hosted by the Center for Gender Equity. Frederick Smith, author of The Right Side of the Wrong Bed and Down for Whatever discussed interracial gay relationships and his books. The week led up to national Coming Out Day, which was Oct. 11.
The program “went very well” according to both Copti and Suboh. “As a whole, Oxy is a very accepting environment,” Copti said. “However, I still do hear of and see incidents of homophobia.”
“You have people in the common rooms using the ‘f’ word,” Suboh said. “People need to be held accountable for that [. . .] it can make people feel unsafe.”
QSA plans to remain active on campus this year. Right now a focus of the club is to defeat Prop. 8, which calls for the illegalization of gay marriage in California. Other planned events include a dance where participants celebrate the privilege to dress in drag, “Gaypril,” a month of programs for the LGBTQI community, an all day, on-campus conference providing resources and support called “Models of Pride,” and “Lavender Graduation,” a college graduation ceremony for the LGBTQI community.
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