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Wilde Stein, the University of Maine’s alliance for sexual diversity, is kicking off the semester with a celebration. Coming Out Week has begun, starting this past Saturday with karaoke in the Bear’s Den and carrying on throughout the week with a wide variety of events before closing with the Coming Out Week dance in York Commons Friday night.
Every year, Wilde Stein organizes fun and educational events to help students question, determine and accept their sexual orientation or the orientation of others. These events are all free and open to the public, including non-students.
Not only does Wilde Stein use Coming Out Week as a way to help students be more comfortable with their or others’ sexual orientation, it’s also an opportunity to reach out to students who may be having conflicts with their friends and family because of their orientation. One of the events held annually is the Wilde Stein Open House, which will be held on Oct. 28. All students are welcome to go to the open house and mingle with Wilde Stein members and their friends. It’s a way to meet new people in a safe, non-threatening environment.
This year, the theme of the open house is “Parents and Coming Out.” Guest Mary Skaggs will talk about this delicate topic. Students who are unsure of how to come out to their families or who are afraid of the possible ramifications of doing so are encouraged to attend.
This year’s events are as diverse as the people involved, ranging from the Identity “Art” Show opening, which will be held 3-5 p.m. in the Spirit Room of Memorial Union, to Safe Zone training, to be held 2-3 p.m. in the Bangor Room of Memorial Union. Tonight’s event is “Singing Out!,” a cabaret-style show featuring Matthew Small and professor Laura Artesani, with special guest Craig DeForest. The show will be at 8 p.m. in the Bear’s Den and will include a variety of songs from the stage, screen and beyond.
Students interested in this or other events can find information online at www.umaine.edu/glbt, or can contact Kyle Webster or Morgan Patten on FirstClass.
