{"id":75261,"date":"2023-10-17T08:35:45","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75261"},"modified":"2023-10-17T08:35:50","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:35:50","slug":"gsa-celebrates-35-years-of-national-coming-out-day-with-booth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75261","title":{"rendered":"GSA celebrates 35 years of National Coming Out Day with booth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By KERRIGAN HUTTON<\/strong>
Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last Wednesday was the 35th anniversary of National Coming Out Day. To celebrate, Fort Hays State\u2019s Gender and Sexuality Alliance hosted a table outside of the Memorial Union where students and faculty could pose in front of a bright rainbow door to show their support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GSA also gave out free t-shirts with the phrase \u201clove is love\u201d printed in the Transgender flag colors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cbig gay door\u201d as GSA members called it, is to symbolize the act of coming out of the closet, an act many LGBTQ+ people have to do when revealing their sexuality or gender identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GSA member Orpheus Dixon-Phillips talked about why the door is important to everyone, especially those who have not come out yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great symbol, even if you don\u2019t take your picture in front of the door because it shows that if you\u2019re still in there, you still can shine through,\u201d Dixon-Phillips said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Coming Out Day was first celebrated in 1988 when LGBTQ+ activists Robert Eichberg and Jean O\u2019Leary chose the early October date to honor the first anniversary of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, a groundbreaking event in LGBTQ history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now over three decades later, GSA members say the day is still as important as ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GSA treasurer Teilee Brunson-Williams said they feel conflicted about how LGBTQ+ issues are acknowledged on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of times it can get frustrating to explain things constantly and justify but I haven\u2019t personally experienced outright hatred just a lot more ignorance,\u201d Brunson-Williams said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brunson-Williams noted that because of this, they are really grateful for GSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt can be frustrating at times but it\u2019s really nice to have the GSA because it\u2019s just this little community to be as authentic to yourself as possible without having to explain or justify why you are (or want to be) yourself,\u201d they said. \u201cIt\u2019s not bad, but it\u2019s not great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dixon-Phillips also gave their thoughts on what people who want to support GSA but don\u2019t know where to start should do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut if you are cis, straight, or are an ally and you just want to know how to help, vote. Right now there is [a] bunch of legislation trying to be put through to hurt people like us<\/a> and using your voice, voting, making sure that you\u2019re protecting the queer people in your life is really how you be a good ally,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information about GSA and its future events can be found on its TigerLink page.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The GSA Rainbow Door<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
GSA Members posing in front of the Rainbow Door<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
GSA members chatting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Treasurer – explaining the significance of the door to passerby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\u201cI\u2019m coming out as _\u201d sign people could hold up for their picture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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