A Week to Raise Awareness on Sexality, Gender Middlebury Kicks Off National Coming Out Week with Closet Raising

Author: Thomas Drescher

Coming Out Week began on Sunday afternoon outside of the McCullough Student Center, where members of the Middlebury Open Queer Alliance (moqa), Gay and Lesbian Employees at Middlebury (GLEAM) and the Middlebury College Ally Group gathered to assemble a symbolic "closet" on the green. Throughout the week, campus organizations will sponsor activities and meetings to reach out to the community and raise awareness on the subject of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights.
The last closet raising, several years ago, resulted in vandalism and destruction. This year's closet is decorated with insults and derogatory terms. moqa member Chris Atwood '03 called it "a visible manifestation of homophobia."
"In an ideal situation," said Atwood, "people should be able to come out and be supported by their friends and family."
The closet went up to show the community that everyone deserves this support. It is a reminder of the negative impact sexual prejudice can have on individuals, and on society.
"During Coming Out Week, moqa really tries to pull together," said Becky Adams '03, another moqa member. The extent of activities planned for the week indicates that moqa and all other organizations involved have been hard at work. The closet raising is a solid beginning, but it is "not the pinnacle of Coming Out Week," added Atwood.
Atwood alluded to a range of calendar of events for the next several days. Coming Out Week features two keynote speakers. The first activist, Pat Hecht, is scheduled to speak on Sunday evening. Hecht, an activist for 13 years, is the chair and legislative coordinator of Virginians for Justice, an organization that advances equal justice for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Virginians and people with HIV/AIDS. The topic of his presentation will be activist-skill building.
The second featured speaker will be Thomas Armbrecht, a graduate of Middlebury College.
Armbrecht holds a doctorate in French studies, and is also interested in French theater, postmodernism, Julien Green and gay and lesbian studies.
His presentation on Monday will precede a dinner at the Pan-African Latino Asian Native American (PALANA) Center.
Other activities during the week include "Queer Visibility and How Allies Can Help," an informational session and open forum at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Mitchell Green Lounge, and a Cabaret Dance Party at the Chateau Grand Salon, scheduled for Friday at 10 p.m.
Festivities conclude on Friday; MiddGALA will be holding a dessert reception at LaForce 121, followed immediately by an alumni panel entitled "Coming Back, Coming Out," in which Midd-GALA alumni will discuss their experiences at Middlebury and beyond. The awareness week concludes Saturday.