Thursday, October 11 was National Coming Out Day. To help spread the word, the Office of Campus Life and Leadership put together a panel of different people to provide insight into the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community.

The event opened with Campus Life Coordinator, Mindy Johnson, introducing the panel members and making a plea to the MCC-Penn Valley student body. "You may or may not agree with this community, this lifestyle, but what I ask of you today is to keep your mind open."

"These people have chosen to be here with us today to share their story," Johnson continued, "Your words can hurt. I’m asking you to keep that in mind as we go through today."

On the panel were Bloch Counselor Richard Lara, Yoga instructor/student John Conway, newly- elected Campus Representative Amanda Walker, and ally of the LGBT community, Reverend Scott Myers. The four took questions from the small audience and spoke about their views on the subject.

"I had to come out twice. The first time they didn’t believe me, so I had to make it real the second time," explained Walker. "When I was coming out I just wanted the support that everybody wants from their family when they’re with somebody. You want to be able to share the good things about your partner, and you want to share everything about your partner."

"I’m gay. I’m proud. I’ve been gay my whole life. I knew it when I saw Aquaman on T.V.," quipped Conway. The mood changed from goodnatured to serious when the panel was asked if they were concerned about their safety. "I’ve been beat up, I’ve been gay-bashed, I’ve been chased off the highway by a guy with a shotgun, I’ve been [verbally] attacked in the classroom here," exclaimed Conway. "People see me as my authentic self and they want to knock me down."

"I didn’t realize how much crime against gays still exists," Walker said. "Last semester I was telling them about a little girl by the name of Sakia Gunn. She was fifteen and she got brutally stabbed by a guy who was mad because she didn’t want to date him," Walker said.

"There comes a point when you want to stop fighting. You just want to live your life and walk down the street. That’s why coming out is also about a having a contact, so that we’re protected." Conway went on to encourage students to speak up in the classrooms when someone from the LGBT community is being harassed and to "demand that our [college], that we all attend, changes the policy to include sexual orientation in the discrimination policy because we’re not protected." Conway also pointed out that "One person’s discrimination is no more, or no less, than the next person’s."

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