Out and Ally List to affirm support of Coming Out Week, LGBT concerns

Out and Ally List to affirm support of Coming Out Week, LGBT concernsOctober 03, 2007SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

Syracuse University will host a campus-wide celebration Oct. 8-12 of Coming Out Week, an SU tradition within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and straight-allied community. The week is part of a larger celebration throughout the world recognizing the lives, experiences, voices and struggles of LGBT people. Thursday, Oct. 11, is National Coming Out Day, commemorating the 1987 March on Washington for LGBT Rights.

As a show of support, SU’s LGBT Resource Center will publish an “Out List” and “Straight Ally List” in The Daily Orange and other on-campus media venues. The Out List, a full-page advertisement listing the names of “out” lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, faculty and staff who choose to participate, celebrates the contributions of the LGBT community and invites the campus to join in raising awareness. The Straight Ally list provides supporters of the LGBT community with the opportunity to demonstrate their opposition to homophobia, inequality and injustice directed against LGBT people.

All members of the SU community are invited to consider participation.

Those who participate in the Out List will be listed alongside the following message: “We are your friends, classmates, teammates, roommates, professors, colleagues, coworkers, alumni and family and we are out and proud. We are just a few of the strong and creative lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals who contribute to the diversity and success of the Syracuse University community. We invite you to join us in celebrating the 19th Annual National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, 2007.”

Ally List participants will be listed alongside the following pledge: “As an ally, I believe that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or queer is healthy and normal. I will work to end the inequalities and injustices faced by LGBT people. I affirm my commitment to confront all forms of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and to interrupt gender norm conformity and heteronormativity.”

Members of the University community who wish to participate in either list should share the following information via e-mail to lgbt@syr.edu by close of business on Thursday, Oct. 4, with the following information:

• choice of out or ally
• name as you’d like it to appear in print
• phone number (for verification purposes, not to be printed)

SU and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, faculty and staff are asked to use their SYR.EDU or ESF.EDU e-mail addresses for verification purposes. Alumni and other supporters are asked to submit their information using a business address or other preferred address.

For more information and a complete calendar of Coming Out Week events, visit http://lgbt.syr.edu.