An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
10.11.2018 Vol. 219 No. 038
THURSDAY
NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY ILLUSTRATION BY ALISON DONAGHY “On Oct. 11, 1987, half a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It was the second demonstration in our nation’s capital,” according to the Human Rights Campaign.
30 years of acceptance and community
BY LOGAN.METZGER @iowastatedaily.com This year will mark the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day. The event was first created on Oct. 11, 1987, when people participated in a March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Coming out is the process of publicly sharing one’s identity that may have been previously hidden or not discussed. “It was the second such demonstration in our nation’s capital, D.C., recognizing that the LGBTQ
community often reacted defensively to antiLGBTQ actions, came up with the idea of a national day to celebrate coming out and chose the anniversary of that second march on Washington to mark it,” according to the Human Rights Campaign. The event was founded by Rob Eichberg, a psychologist and author, and Jean O’Leary, founder of Lesbian Feminist Liberation. Coming out matters, especially since people who know someone who does identify as LGBTQIA+ are more likely to support equality laws, according to the Human Rights Campaign. “National Coming Out Day is an opportunity for
LGBTQIA+ people to get together and share their experiences within the heteronormative and cisnormative culture that we live in,” said Roslyn Gray, president of The Pride Alliance. “It is a chance for solidarity and healing but there is no requirement to come out. Some people find it beneficial and others don’t but it’s helpful that such a space exists.” Brad Freihoefer, director of The Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success, said they see National Coming Out Day as the time to celebrate the process of coming out and a day to continue positive energy.
COMING OUT
pg8
Discussing Latinx students’ classroom experience BY VICTORIA.REYNA-RODRIGUEZ @iowastatedaily.com “My existence is resistance,” said Sarah Rodriguez-Jones, assistant professor in the school of education. On Wednesday, three women, Liz MendezShannon, vice president for diversity and inclusion, Kimberly Greder, associate professor of human development & family studLIZ ies and Sarah RodriguezMENDEZ-SHANNON Jones, assistant professor in the school of education, gathered to
discuss the socialization and education experiences for the Latinx youth in the United States. “At Iowa State … we are a historically white [institution],” Greder said. “So it is very important to identify our identities and how we socialize across campus.” Greder and the other two women on this panel all agreed on the importance of making Latinx students feel more included and wanted in the classroom. In recognizing this, they also realize that in demanding inclusivity, you are, “inviting conflict,” Mendez-Shannon said. But despite how difficult it can be, this discussion brought attention to the
importance of teachers decolonizing their syllabus and curriculum. “I think as teachers, it is also letting ourselves be vulnerable and being those continual learners that we say we are,” Greder said. Through this statement, Greder recognized the fact that it is not always easy for teachers to make their classroom a more inclusive place, and it certainly does not happen all at once. “It’s about the small wins,” said the moderator Jose Rosa, faculty fellow for diversity and inclusion and professor of marketing. Mendez-Shannon also recognized the importance of making Latinx students in the classroom feel wanted and included not
only for their own well-being, but also for how they perform in the classroom. “Imagine … you’re reading all these things that you do not relate to, and you’re trying to get an ‘A’ in the class,” Mendez-Shannon said. This relates to the importance of decolonizing the curriculum and realizing if students are unable to relate to the literature and discussions in the classroom, they cannot be expected to succeed. “Relationships and experiences shape who we are,” Greder said, Again, focusing importance on the socialization situations Latinx students experience in the classroom.