Opening the College Closet

Author: Gab Fonseca, Jena Seigel, Jillian Weiser, Lauren Sargent

Next week, Middlebury Open Queer Alliance (MOQA) will be sponsoring Coming Out Week. Coming out is a process that begins with a person accepting his or her own sexual orientation or gender and then becoming comfortable sharing it with others. This is a significant step for many Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual/Transgender, Queer (GLBTQ) people, and it is often met with struggle. It takes courage to become honest with others regarding a subject as personal and often controversial as sexual orientation or gender identity.

MOQA's goals for the week are to make the campus aware of the coming out process, to show support for people questioning their sexual orientation and thinking about coming out and to celebrate being open about and secure with one's sexual orientation or gender. The week's events will include a closet raising, handing out pink triangle cookies, a discussion at the Ally Meeting, Gay Jeans Day, a panel discussion on coming out and a drag ball. We encourage all students, staff and faculty members to attend and participate in each of these events as we work to build bridges between different organizations and create an accepting and educated community.

The closet is one of the more visible, yet most often misunderstood, statements that MOQA makes during the year. The closet symbolizes a state of hiding that is often experienced by an individual who is not "out" and the struggle that he or she may go through to "come out of the closet." It shows support for people wishing to come out, for those going through some stage of the process, and for those who have already come out. Additionally, it celebrates the freedom one gains from being open about one's sexual orientation or gender, and thus out of the closet. We believe that building a closet is an important and effective way of challenging the Middlebury community to think and discuss GLBTQ issues both on and off campus. The closet will go up on Sunday at 1 p.m. on McCullough Lawn and all are welcome to help build and decorate it.

On Monday night, from 5 to 8 p.m., MOQA members will be handing out pink triangle cookies and flyers containing a schedule of events in front of the Ross Dining Hall. The pink triangle is the symbol that the Nazis pinned on homosexuals during the Holocaust. Since then, supporters of GLBTQ issues have reclaimed the pink triangle as a challenge to oppression and a symbol of support.

On Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Chateau Grand Salon, MOQA and the Ally Group will co-sponsor a discussion entitled "What It Means to be an Ally." Many people wonder how they can show support for the GLBTQ community, what being an ally entails and whether only straight people can be allies. We believe this discussion, facilitated by MOQA and Ally leaders, will give students and faculty an opportunity to talk about these questions and communicate openly about other issues pertaining to allies.

Gay Jeans Day, Wednesday, Oct. 8, is an easy way for all people to show support for the GLBTQ community by simply wearing jeans.

Later on Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m. in the Robert A. Jones '59 House Conference Room, MOQA will present a panel discussion on coming out. Anyone interested in learning about and discussing coming out or sharing a personal experience should attend this discussion.

Last is the Drag Ball, one of our most well-attended events, back by popular demand. Join us in Coltrane Lounge on Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. ready to party. We'd like to see everyone there, dressed in drag or not, so come out (no pun intended) and dance the night away with our student performers.

Please come together with members of MOQA and the Ally group during Coming Out Week as we initiate a discussion of what it is like to come out and to increase awareness of GLBTQ issues on and off campus. In the interest of an educated and tolerant, or simply just respectful, community we hope that many will attend these events, contemplate these issues and participate in discussion.