Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Campus Celebrates OUTober

This month students are wearing their pride on their sleeves as the university celebrates OUTober and LGBT History Month.

GU Pride, Georgetown’s undergraduate LGBTQ organization, handed out 200 blue “I Am” T-shirts to faculty, staff and students in Red Square Tuesday to celebrate Coming Out Day, the first event in a month-long series commemorating LGBT history month.

The event, now in its seventh year, aims to increase visibility on campus of both LGBTQ students and allies. Students spent Monday night covering Red Square with chalked messages of toleration and awareness in preparation for Tuesday’s event.

While some students use the day as a chance to come out to their peers or celebrate their identity, many of those who wore “I Am” shirts were allies hoping to show their support for the LGBTQ community.

Julia Maddera (COL ’13), GU Pride’s publicity chair, has participated in Coming Out Day all three of her years at Georgetown.

“Every time it blows me away,” she said. “It is comforting to know that you are not alone here on campus. I think it sends a powerful message to students who are still closeted, as well as prospective LGBT students who wonder if Georgetown will provide a welcoming environment for them.”

Each year, GU Pride chooses a different color of the rainbow for the t-shirts. According to Meghan Ferguson (COL ’15), co-programming chair for GU Pride, this year’s light blue shirts were intended to represent the first color on the transgender pride flag.

“One of the big motivations behind this year’s campaign is the recent slew of attacks against transgender women in D.C., so we thought it was important to bring up,” Ferguson said.

Coming Out Day kicked off a month of activities sponsored by GU Pride and several other student organizations, including GradPride and the LGBTQ Alliance.

Tuesday night featured a dinner and discussion of the internet-based “It Gets Better” campaign that calls national attention to LGBT suicides among youth. GU Pride has started its own related project called “Making it Better,” which Ferguson described as a more proactive version of the campaign geared specifically toward Georgetown students.

“It asks people, ‘What are you doing to make Georgetown a safer community for LGBT people?'” she said.

The month’s events will conclude with the 25th annual AIDS Walk Washington on Oct. 29.

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