Thursday, October 11, 2001

All people should be proud on Coming Out Day
By Mandi McReynolds
Skiff Staff

For me, Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, has become a day of embracing and a day of worrying. The day represents both freedom and oppression.

I love the idea behind Coming Out Day. I love the thought of a day when people can be comfortable in their own skin and feel that the world will love them no matter what they do or who they love. I think those who support Coming Out Day dream of a year it will actually feel like that. We wish those who believe homosexuality is wrong would give those who live it a day to be themselves, be unafraid, be proud and be accepted.

However, I have yet to see a Coming Out Day that went without protest and uninterrupted. These people are exercising their right to freedom of speech, but they are also very stubbornly defending the power they have over a minority. For these people, the other 364 days of the year are not enough time to spread hate. They feel the need to attack the homosexual/gay-positive community even on the one day they choose to claim as their own. This is a malicious attack on an oppressed people, plain and simple.

I cannot understand this strange, hateful occurrence. Why would anyone be so determined to make others feel pain? Whatever the goal, personal attacks will not accomplish it. Homosexuality is not a disease, so why do people think they can stop it from “spreading?” Likewise, it is not something one can be cured of.

It is ridiculous to think that someone who is actually heterosexual will attend a gay-positive event and decide to be attracted to his or her own sex. That isn’t the goal of Coming Out Day, and it isn’t even possible. The gay-positive community is not trying to force homosexuality on anyone, they are simply asking for all humans to be treated as people, and treated equally A homosexual person should be able to live anywhere, to work anywhere, to go to church, to run for office, to talk about love, to express his or herself, to be active in their neighborhood and hold hands with the one they love without fear.

Protesting National Coming Out Day does not change anyone’s sexuality. It just teaches people to hate. National Coming Out Day is an opportunity not just for homosexual, bisexual or transgendered people to feel accepted; it can and should be a day for everyone to express who they are and love it. Make it a day for you, whoever you are, to look at who you really are, what you’ve become and find something to love. Express what is in you and look at what those around you are expressing. Know that everyone has different morals and different values, and everyone should feel safe living by those morals. Know that we cannot choose who we are, but we can love ourselves. Know that no one is worth more than anyone else. Know that we all have much to offer and we all are different.

This today, I plan to attend Betty DeGeneres’ presentation, wear a rainbow ribbon, express my support for the homosexual community at TCU and do what I can to create the type of environment where people can feel comfortable expressing themselves. I hope you will either do the same or at least refrain from getting in my way.

Mandi McReynolds is a junior religion major from Corpus Christi. She may be contacted at (a.m.mcreynolds@student.tcu.edu).