Senior anthropology and geography major Eric Sirignano didn't tell his mother he was gay until she asked him. Fortunately for him, he said, his parents were very supportive, and he was able to come out when it was safe and he was ready.
"Coming out is a daily process," Sirignano said. "You may be coming out for the rest of your life."
Now, three years after he told his mother, he is the president of the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Awareness (BGALA) group, which hosted National Coming Out Day yesterday for the first time on The University of Memphis campus.
Sirignano said the event was to show recognition for those who have come out in the past and make it easier for others.Not everyone gets the support from family and friends that Sirignano got.
"Coming out isn't necessarily a thing for everyone to do," said critical psychology professor Dr. Heidi Levitt.
She said for some it could mean losing family, friends and even a job. Although there is an anti-discrimination policy at The U of M, there is not such a policy for all jobs in Memphis.
"There are a lot of people living in fear," Levitt said.
But, she said, having groups like BGALA can help because it can give those coming out a supportive social group. Events, like National Coming Out Day, on campus are helpful because they show students that there are gay students in the classrooms, she said.
"The more people who are coming out, the more people will know someone who is gay or lesbian," Levitt said. "The idea of being gay or lesbian isn't as scary."
The BGALA still had to be very careful about making sure the event was safe, which was one of the reasons they decided to have it on campus.
"It would be irresponsible for us to ask people to put themselves out so much and not do everything we can to keep them safe," said Stacey Luttrell, organizer of the event and sophomore political science and English major.
She said they had to be prepared because not everyone agrees with the homosexual lifestyle, and by holding it on campus there would be more security.
"There is so much discrimination and hate in the world," Luttrell said. "I hate inequality."
Junior electrical engineering major Matt Hinchman went through a friend's coming out in Nebraska.
"It wasn't an easy ordeal for him to go through," Hinchman said. "It was pretty scary being in Nebraska in a rural farm town."
He said his friend was the victim of basic stereotypes, slanderous statements and general ignorance. Hinchman said he even felt some of it just by being his friend.
"People looked at me. People I had known my entire life, it was strange," he said.
Despite the people, he said it was worth it for both him and his friend.
"He could finally live his life the way he wanted to live it," Hinchman said. "It was a proverbial weight lifted off the shoulders."
