Dynamic programs to celebrate LGBT History Month/National Coming Out Week
To commemorate and celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) History Month and National Coming Out Week, the UW–Madison LGBT Campus Center and its campus partners are sponsoring speakers and events that celebrate the diverse lives and experiences of LGBT people. The week also serves to call attention to present-day struggles that “out” LGBT people face.
“National Coming Out Day is meant to celebrate and grow communities through celebrating the uniqueness of our own stories and finding common threads and connections,” says Gabe Javier, assistant dean of students and director of the LGBT Campus Center. “Another important message of the week is that living and talking about our ‘out’ identities can inspire others.
“Not all of our stories have happy endings, but what is important is that there are people who’ve been through those same tough times and we all have a hand in making things better. Remember, even LGBTQ Allies have coming out stories,” Javier says.
October is also celebrated as LGBT History Month, with a different LGBT icon being honored each day. LGBT History Month is coordinated nationally by the Equality Forum.
Two events serve as keynote experiences for National Coming Out Week:
Define American: An Evening with Jose Vargas
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 6-7:30 p.m.
Pyle Center, AT&T Lounge
In 2011, Jose Vargas wrote a piece in the New York Times Magazine called “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” Ever since, he has been elevating the conversation around immigration and what it means to “be American.” A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Vargas talks about this “double-coming out” through his lens as a gay man of color, and how the power of knowing our own, unique stories does more to add to the story of America than to hurt it. A light reception will follow the presentation.
Conceal & Carry: Queers Exposed
Thursday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
Mosse Humanities Building, Morphy Recital Hall
“Conceal & Carry: Queers Exposed” is a full-length theatrical production featuring original monologues written, directed and performed by members and allies of Madison’s LGBTQ Narratives Activist-Writers’ group. The show is based on the writers’ lived experiences and it aims to “make visible the parts of ourselves that might otherwise go unnoticed, to put into words the very things that are the most difficult to say and to share with the world the pain, fear, horror, beauty, love, and hope of our queer lives. The project is designed to interact with our community by continuously integrating new work into the show.” After a sold-out July debut at Broom Street Theater, the group will be returning to the stage on Oct. 11 at UW–Madison and Oct. 25 at Edgewood College. Future performances will feature monologues from the debut as well as new voices.
A complete list of LGBT History Month/National Coming Out Week events is available here.