A safe place for students to be themselves
21st November 2008
Coming out for the first time can be a terrifying experience for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. But for the past two years the University has offered a coming out support group for anyone on campus who wants to start the process.
Every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. the group meets in 107 Hanna Hall. The meetings are open to any student who wishes to come.
The group provides support and advice for anyone at any level of their coming out experience.
"Coming out is not a one time deal," co-ficilitator of the support group Annie Russell said. "It is a lifelong process and is different for everyone depending on who they want to come out to and where they are in the process."
The meetings consist of a small group of students, numbering between seven and eight, who are struggling to come out.
"The group's experiences guide the discussions," Russell said. "We talk about things they are dealing with and want to know about."
Some of the main topic areas the support group discusses in relation to coming out is religion, allies, support and their experiences on campus, in resident halls and classes.
The main goal of the group is to provide a safe and confidential atmosphere for LGBT students.
"A support group is vital when your dealing with coming out," Activism Chair of Vision Johnnie Lewis said. "It is nice to know there are people willing to support you."
According to Lewis, many students seem to worry that if they attend the meetings they will be ridiculed by others. Despite students' worry, the group has not had any problems with this so far.
"The University has many LGBT students and it is a pretty open minded campus compared to others," sophomore Gwen Kinsman said.
"As far as I know, students have taken advantage of and thoroughly enjoyed the assistance of the support group without any problems," said Lewis.
Leaders of the support group hope that more students will take advantage of it and participate.
"Coming out is the single most challenging issues LGBT students deal with in life," Russell said. "And it is so important they hear other students' experiences who have went through the same things they have."
Source: The BG News