Events offer support, fun
By Aaron Kokoruz
Staff Reporter

National Coming Out Week is all about tolerance and being who you are, said Matt Flinchum, president of the TCU eQ Alliance.

The eQ Alliance is TCU’s gay-lesbian student organization. Its goal is to make attending TCU a great experience for all gay, lesbian, bisexual and straight students, said Bernardo Vallarino, communications chairman of eQ Alliance.

“National Coming Out Week is not just about coming out of the closet during that week, but it’s just saying that when you do come out there is a support group there for you,” said Flinchum, senior philosophy and political science major.

The actual coming out day is Oct. 10, but the whole week is used to celebrate and let people know there is support out there, said Vallarino, senior radio-TV-film and sculpture major.

The eQ Alliance planned activities this week that will include everything from a candlelight vigil to dinner at Razzoo’s, Vallarino said.

“We added dinner at Razzoo’s to the program this year because we want TCU to be part of the community and the community to be part of TCU,” Vallarino said.

The dinner at Razzoo’s will also give students a chance to hang out and socialize while being comfortable with themselves and meeting other people, Flinchum said.

“I haven’t paid much attention to (eQ Alliance) before, but it would seem that it provides a sense of comfort for those who want to come out to their peers and never really felt like they could before,” said Matt Eaton, junior political science major.

Statistics show that one out of every 10 people is gay, Vallarino said. Vallarino said National Coming Out Week at TCU has gotten better throughout the years, and there have been fewer problems with people protesting. Last year, there was a problem with someone stealing the National Coming Out Week banner from the Student Center, he said.

For more information on eQ Alliance, go to orgs.tcu.edu/eQ. For more information on National Coming Out Week, contact Matt Flinchum at m.r.flinchum@tcu.edu.