Students help others deal with 'coming out'

By Shazia Aslam

Amy Dominguez, a sophomore religious studies and anthropology major, recalls her "coming out" days as difficult. Dominguez went to an all-girls private Catholic school where people did not look kindly upon homosexuals.

Kevin Hope, the activism committee chair for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Straight Organization at SMU, said that he "came out" simply because he was tired of lying to everyone and playing the "pronoun game" referring to his significant other in the third person.

"Coming out" was the theme Thursday at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. From 10 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m., the Women's Center and

GLBTSO tried to raise awareness of National Coming Out Day by having a booth and handing out buttons and pins for students to wear. In addition to answering any questions students had, the organizations handed out a National Coming Out Day booklet that served as a resource guide.

"The purpose is to bring awareness to the SMU community about GLBT issues, especially the 'coming out' process," said Courtney Aberle, GLBTSO adviser and the coordinator for women's programs at the Women's Center at SMU.

The organizations set up a booth at the west entrance of Hughes-Trigg in remembrance of a march on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11, 1987. That demonstration was dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender human rights and was made up of more than half a million people.

Monday, the group kicked off the event with a speaker from the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Resource Center. Gil Flores spoke to them about the history of National Coming Out Day and how to be a resource for individuals struggling with issues.

Hope said that speaker was a step towards GLBTSO becoming more active at SMU.

"Historically we [GLBTSO] have done more passive things on campus like wearing ribbons," Hope said.

Hope helped put National Coming Out Day stake signs all over campus.

"One of our main goals is to be a resource for individuals who aren't comfortable walking around campus with a button or tag," Hope said. "We want to help people who are struggling with GLBT issues and aren't comfortable being 'out.'"

The GLBTSO meets at 5 p.m. Thursdays in the living room of the Women's Center at 3116 Fondren.

"We're very blatant about making sure people feel safe at our meetings," Hope said.

Hope said that the meetings are open to straight people who support human rights issues as well.

"It's a very open environment," Hope said. "We may not always agree, but we are open to any dialogue."

Hope said that he encourages people to go to the meetings if they have issues with homosexuality and just want to talk.

"We feel we need to be visible out there and supportive so SMU students can find us if they need to," Dominguez said.

Hope 'came out' living in a very conservative area. Both Hope and Dominguez said that the GLBTSO has given them a personal sense of community.

"As a group, we feel that if someone is having 'coming out' issues, we want students to know that they are not alone," Hope said. "The Women's Center, the Counseling and Testing Center and the GLBTSO are all good resources for students looking for answers."

For more information on GLBTSO, call (214) 768-4796.