BY MARISSA CASTANOS
October 1 marks the 17th annual celebration of LGBT History Month, a time dedicated to remembering milestones for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. LGBT History Month was founded by a history teacher in Missouri named Rodney Wilson. Accompanied with National Coming Out Day is the anniversary of the first march on Washington by LGBT people on October 14th, 1979. This month also holds Spirit Day on October 20, where individuals around the country wear purple to support LGBT youth, as well as Ally Week when allies against LGBT bullying are celebrated.
One group on campus, dedicated to promoting the equality of all peoples regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation, decided to take part in this month’s festivities. Today, in front of Memorial Union, three members of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) sat at a table offering cupcakes and encouragement for students who decided to come out. A door sat waiting to be walked through by students and faculty of FHSU on this national holiday for the LGBT+ community.
“It’s important for people to take that moment to express themselves safely and the way that they want to,” said Timothy Krug, President of GSA. “It’s a good way to bring this topic to attention.”
GSA has held this event before and plans on doing the same event in years to come. GSA also works with organizations such as the Kelly Center and Options, which is a group that can help students who are struggling and are in need of a little bit of help.
Krug spoke briefly about his experience with coming out and why this event was important to him personally. “It was hard for me coming out, I was raised in a small town that wasn’t the best environment to come out as gay, but once I came to Fort Hays, I got support thrown at me, and I was surprised how many people here were very supportive of the gay lifestyle. I definitely felt like there were people I could talk to and resources I could receive from other organizations, other groups, and other people that really helped me through my journey, that makes me really proud of Fort Hays.”
GSA holds meetings every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the Trails Room of the Memorial Union. This month, the group will hold a Halloween dance on October 28 from 7 to 9 pm, which is a free come and go event available to students. You can stay up to date with GSA’s events by following their facebook page ‘FHSU Gay-Straight Alliance” and checking the TigerLink calendar for any upcoming events.