The Triangle

Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: News

A group of activists for gay rights take to the streets. Drexel hosted Leif Mitchell, of the Gay and Lesbian Student Education Network at Yale University.

Judging someone based on their gender identity or sexual orientation is the same as racially profiling someone, a gay rights educator said Oct. 11 during a National Coming Out Day event.

The speaker, Leif Mitchell, who works for the Gay and Lesbian Student Education Network (GLSEN) as well as the AIDS research center at Yale University, talked to a group of 25 students about recognizing Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning people (GLBTQ) as equal not special.

"Ultimately, I feel like there should be no need for anybody to come out, meaning that there shouldn't be a need to say, 'I'm gay.' … It'd be great if we didn't have to have a day like this," Mitchell said. "But I think we're pretty far off from that, so to be able to have a day where people can come out, acknowledge who we are, is, I think, really important."

However, some students disagreed with Mitchell's views.

"I feel like if I were gay, I wouldn't come out on Coming Out Day, just because it seems a little trendy," said Max Cooke, a junior majoring in film.

Matt Scottoline, a junior majoring in music industry, agreed with Cooke, and added, "Coming Out Day seems silly."

Mitchell's lecture, along with organizations such as the Foundation of Undergraduates for Sexual Equality (FUSE), promote GLBTQ awareness on campus, according to Phil Poczik, professor and program director for the Center for Civic Engagement.

Poczik, who began working in 2001 as a diversity trainer at the University, created a "Culture of Respect" course that is aimed to shift people's attitudes with regards to prejudice and discrimination. Among other social issues, Poczik's class examines issues such as sexism and heterosexism. To Poczik, National Coming Out Day is not mainly about celebrating people who had the courage to come out, but rather, it is a day to recognize those who are still struggling.

"I have been very impressed by the courage I've seen displayed both by our GLBTQ students and by heterosexual allies. …I think something like National Coming Out Day is important because it reminds me of the rampant homophobia in the world. … Both our beliefs and our policies need to be considered today's modern civil rights movement," said Poczik.

This year, for the first time ever, residential living roommate and suitemate agreement forms gave students the option to check "transgender" when deciding the gender of overnight guests.

Although the agreement forms now formally recognize the transgender community, there is still a long way to go, according to Cooke.

"I haven't heard of any problems, but I haven't heard of any solutions either," Cooke said. "It's very just sort of under the skin - everyone kind of just minds their own business, and maybe that's a bad thing."

In order to really make a difference, Mitchell said everyone must be proactive in day-to-day issues, such as standing up to someone who uses a homophobic slur. He also stressed the importance of heterosexual allies in the GLBTQ community.

"We need allies more than anything else … you're using your privilege. And really, it's a privilege to be heterosexual in our society because that's the assumption."

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