OUTober & Inaugural Coming Out Week Celebrated at MU!

OUTober & Inaugural Coming Out Week celebrated at MU!
By: Jas Whitlow, Director of the Rita Smith-Wade-El Intercultural Center

In celebration of LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day, the Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El Intercultural Center hosted a week to celebrate the process, the people, and pride! To kickoff OUTober, the Center educated the campus and published “7 Things You need to Know” for LGBT History Month! This poster was distributed in print and via social media platforms to bring awareness to the significance of October when it comes to LGBT History.

With MU striving to be more LGBTQ Inclusive, Coming Out Week provided an opportunity for the entire campus community to engage throughout the week, leading up to the 6th Annual Pridefest and Drag Show.

To kickoff the week, Doctor JonPaul Higgins, speaker, writer, and social justice educator, gave a keynote titled “Lead with Pride”. That afternoon, Doctor JonPaul engaged with 25 faculty and staff about LGBTQ+ inclusion in Higher Education.

In total the week encompassed 13 events, including: LGBT Lingo Bingo, Film Screening of Mala Mala, Courageous Conversation on Power and Privilege from an LGBT Lens, LGBTQIA+ affinity meet up, Poetry Reading with Meg Day, Quick Drag 101, and Free HIV Testing.

On Thursday night, the SMC MPR was packed with over 562 people at Pridefest, over 15 organizations tabling and giving out information, including LGBT local organizations and LGBT affirming churches.

Our annual Pridefest Drag Show, featuring local queens, Ne’Vaeha Le’Vixenn, Kahmor Vixenn and Hexxa, and RuPaul’s Drag Race Queens Nina West and Peppermint performed to a sold-out show.

The week concluded with our National Coming Out Day event “Paint with Pride”. Overall 382 people attended coming out week events.

Pridefest is co-sponsored by The Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El Intercultural Center, President’s Commission on Gender and Sexual Diversity (PCGSD), The Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), The Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL), The Student Government Association (SGA), and the University Activities Board (UAB).

Follow @mu_interculturalcenter on IG for more events, news and resources!