Anecdotes, poems, and diary entries were among the many stories shared Oct. 11’s “Coming Out Monologues.” The event highlighted free-form narratives from the lives of LGBTQ people as well as allies. Started in 2007 at UC Davis, it has spread to campuses nationwide. American University’s LGBTQ Resource Center and Queers and Allies came together to host this spoken word celebration in honor of National Coming Out Day.
“[The event] gives a space to hear stories and to get a feeling of an array of LGBTQ experiences,” said LGBTQ Resource Center Program Director Matt Bruno.
Speakers were given the chance to read anonymous submissions or to perform their own original pieces. Attendees listened to stories of passionate first loves, proud declarations of freedom and even kinky confessions. But not all accounts were as lighthearted; there were some that involved being trapped by society in the proverbial “closet,” coping with religious barriers and coming to terms with gender identity. Relationships seemed to play a major role in many of the stories in the form of dealing with family, admitting to friends and flirting with crushes.
Other performances addressed the tendency for people to narrowly focus on lifestyle labels — pansexual, queer, bisexual and more. There were stories that also rhetorically questioned cultural norms and why undue discrimination seems to be a default reaction.
Poetry was on the menu for the event as well; SOC junior Maya Kosover performed several original pieces for the first time in public.
“Each of the poems describes different phases of coming out: realization, certainty, acceptance,” Kosover said.
“We wanted to create an outlet for intimate sharing,” said Dani Nispel, a student employee for the resource center. “We’re really happy that people came to participate.”
With LGBTQ History Month currently ongoing, there will be even more opportunities for AU students to join together and celebrate diversity.
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