News

Coming out week celebrated at UM

Events raise awareness for sexual diversity

By Rhiannon Sawtelle

Posted on Oct. 18, 2007, at 12:00 a.m.

adrianne hess

Zachary Duren, the vice president of Wilde Stein Alliance for Sexual Diversity, sets a paper crane on the snack table of the Rainbow Resource Center's open house. The paper crane is a symbol of peace, set on the table with the intention of sending a mess

Sexual diversity advocacy organizations in Maine are taking this week to celebrate “coming out.” The week’s events aim to spread awareness of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community and to encourage individuals to embrace their sexuality.

Many campuses around the nation celebrate this date but the University of Maine is taking the whole week to raise awareness and create a welcoming environment. National Coming Out Day has been an annual national event since 1988 and marks the date of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

The celebration events began on Sunday with the Maine AIDS Walk in Bangor and will continue through this weekend. Wilde Stein Alliance for Sexual Diversity, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies Council, and Equality Maine are among the organizations sponsoring events.

The organizers also aim to use the week to educate the UMaine community.

“A lot of times people don’t really know [the GLBT organizations] here. There’s help out there and support from allies,” Emily Chavis, the public relations director for the Wilde Stein Alliance said.

Allies are straight people who work with and support GLBT organizations such as Wilde Stein. “We wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without them,” Chavis said.

Even though the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered presence in the typical college community is small, it can be powerful.

“The population on campus is pretty representative of the regular population. It’s bigger than you realize because people might not be openly gay,” Wilde Stein advisor Sierran Lucey said.

Many resources are available on campus for information and counseling on GLBT issues. The Rainbow Resource Center is located in the basement of the Union, next to the Wilde Stein office. The center has lots of information on gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-gendered issues, including pamphlets, movies and books. There are several groups that meet on campus and Cutler Health Center has an open counseling service as well. For a full list of groups on campus visit www.wrc.umaine.edu/resources/glbt.htm.

Wilde Stein meets every Thursday in the COE Room in the Union at 7 p.m. The meetings are open to all.

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