Out of the closet

Wednesday, October 9, 1996

RALLY:

Despite setbacks in Congress, gay and lesbian leaders remain
optimisticBy Brooke Olson

Daily Bruin Staff

As UCLA continued to celebrate National Coming Out Week,
students and community members held a rally Tuesday to demand gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transsexual rights.

As part of the goals behind Coming Out Week, a nationwide
celebration dedicated to defending gay rights, the rally educated
and provided support to students who wanted to reveal their sexual
orientation, organizers said.

Coming on the heels of the Defense of Marriage Act, a recently
passed bill outlawing same-sex marriage, speakers at the rally
encouraged the crowd to remain positive about gay rights and to
vote for legislators who will protect those rights.

"Being gay is not about being afraid or ashamed or apologetic
­ it’s about being who we are," said Mandy Carter, a gay and
lesbian activist currently working against the re-election of North
Carolina senator and noted anti-gay rights legislator Jesse
Helms.

"(We need to) directly influence politics that directly affect
our lives and oppose anti-gay politicians and anti-gay politics,"
she added, encouraging everyone to vote in the upcoming 1996
national elections.

Sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA), the African
Student Union, Asian Pacific Coalition and other student groups,
the week-long event includes lunches, workshops, seminars and other
social events. This Friday marks the official National Coming Out
Day.

"We are here to show that we are not ashamed to be who we are
and that we deserve the respect and equality that everyone else
has," said Bryon Williams, a second-year undeclared student and
editor of UCLA’s gay and lesbian newsmagazine TenPercent.

"There is a lot of opposition we’re facing, but we must stand up
in the face of those who make us silent," he added.

Many gays and lesbians would agree that their rights have faced
numerous national and state political hurdles.

Just as the Defense of Marriage Act was quickly enacted by
Congress, the National Employee Non-Discrimination Act, which would
have barred employers from discriminating against gays and
lesbians, fell one vote short of being passed.

However, supporters of the act concede the fact that the
Non-Discrimination Act came close to being approved and view this
year’s incoming 105th Congress as a time when gays will finally
receive equal and basic human rights.

"Yes, the radical right is trying to stop us … but remember
that our rights are forthcoming and we will succeed," Carter
said.

Speakers at the rally reminded the crowd not to be discouraged
by recent legislative failures and to focus instead on their
current successes, including the recent California law barring
discrimination of employees on the basis of sexual orientation and
the possible passage of a same-sex marriage law in Hawaii.

National Coming Out Week began as an annual remembrance and
celebration of the 1987 gay and lesbian march on Washington.

However, it has since evolved into a week designed to recognize
the struggle for gay rights and to educate the public about state
and national issues regarding civil rights, organizers said.

"To me, National Coming Out Week is about breaking through a
barrier and letting go of all the secrets you’ve held on to for so
long," said Jason Seifer, a second-year economics and
communications student.

"It’s a chance for you to be open to your family and open to
your friends and open to your world," he added.

AMY PENG

Jarret McClain Gorman, a second-year undeclared student, speaks
to the crowd. She is associated with the Gay and Lesbian
Association.