GLOW Confessionals a success

Christina Zambon

At GLOW’s “Coming Out Confessionals” program Oct. 12, a group of students filled the Underground Coffeehouse to watch as their peers shared their coming out stories. A number of students talked candidly about being gay, bisexual, and transgender, and the processes they went through to come out to family and friends.
The confessionals were held to celebrate National Coming Out Day, which has taken place on Oct. 11th since 1987. Sara Bernstein, president of GLOW, noted that the confessionals were “generally quite successful,” and stated that “there was a larger audience than in the past two years that I have attended.” She estimated that about 40 people attended the event.
Student and GLOW member Dominique Gougis commented that “there was a wide variety of the kinds of experiences individuals had. It was nice to hear some comical ones, as well as ones that I took a lot more seriously.” Kate Ostler added, “I thought it was interesting to hear so many different stories … it was great that so many people turned out for them.”
The kind of supportive environment that Lawrence provides helps many students in coming to terms with their sexual orientation. Recently, Lawrence was ranked as eighth out of the nations colleges for the “Gay Community Accepted” list by the Princeton Review. Gougis remarked, “[Coming out] is really difficult for a lot of people, so I feel that events like the Coming Out Confessionals are a form of encouragement and motivation.” On the process of coming out, Bernstein added, “Everyone’s situation and experience differs but generally it’s a time in your life when you need support. I think that just the fact that we had such a big turnout shows that we have a very supportive campus.”
GLOW is a very active organization on campus, with over 35 members in good standing. Last year, GLOW won the Student Organization of the Year award. This year GLOW has many exciting things planned, including a new direction with its third conference. This time the organization will be hosting a Queer Arts Festival in conjunction with Beloit College. In addition, GLOW is hosting the bi-monthly Queer Movie Series, featuring both well-known and lesser-known movies that deal with homosexual issues. On the past and future of GLOW, Bernstein remarked, “The last exec board built a very strong foundation for the organization, and we plan to make it stronger.” GLOW meets every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Sage lounge.