I came out of the closet when I was 12, and ever since then, I have been determined to celebrate pride in any way that I can. Learning about queer history, learning about the intersectionality in our community, and being outspoken about my identity and experience are what make me me. This year, I am an intern at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion specializing in matters pertaining to the LGBTQIA+ community. My supervisor came to me at the beginning of the year and suggested we throw a huge party for National Coming Out Day; at that moment I got to work.
Planning this event was incredibly stressful, but every step of the way was rewarding. I am the type of person that is hyper-critical of everything that I do. So planning a huge event for the entire school was terrifying. I was riddled with anxiety, more than I already am, but I still had to message so many people to get this thing running despite how paralyzed with fear I was. I learned very quickly that emailing back and forth is really frustrating. I ordered the face painter, the free goodies from Conspire, the giant beach ball, and pretty much everything. I am so incredibly thankful to my supervisor for motivating me to keep going when the nerves got too hard and for helping me reach out to those I couldn’t.
On the day of the event, I was a wreck. I was so nervous, I forgot to take my meds. I probably looked like a fool the way I was running around Bowman Park trying to make sure everything was going the way it was supposed. This is something that is so important to me and I was so scared it was going to be a failure that was attached to my name on this campus til the day I graduate (which is really dramatic, but I have anxiety). However, my fears were simply just fears, with no basis in reality. The event was a smashing success.
Whether you are out of the closet, still in the closet or an ally, pride is important. We live in a country where queer people are continuously ridiculed for existing. Trans people are currently fighting for basic human rights, and even fighting to simply exist without fear of being murdered. Celebrating pride and having a community of queer students at DePauw is a way for us to show that we aren’t going to be silent against homophobia and transphobia. We are going to continue to exist proudly and loudly. I am so proud of myself for bringing a pride celebration to DePauw and it is something that I am going to continue for the rest of my time here.
I want to give a big thank you to everyone who attended this event, regardless of your identity. Thank you for celebrating with me.