By Amanda Clarke Staff Writer
The “Coming Out Monologues” took place Thursday evening, April 30, in the Pacific Room of the Werner Center.
According to Western’s events Facebook page, the monologues were “a collection of stories authored and performed by Western Oregon University students, alumni, faculty and staff.” The event was directed by Ted deChatelet and produced by CM Hall.
The event was donation based, and partnered with the Stonewall Center, Safe Zone and Triangle Alliance. There were 21 speakers including those who identify as bisexual, lesbian, gay, asexual, pansexual, questioning and transgender.
The monologues gave presenters a chance to tell their story of being accepted, or not being accepted, and included monologues from people on all paths finding their own identity. Each monologue dealt with topics including compassion, courage, connection, fear and curiosity.
“Everyone has a different story,” said Hall, a Western graduate, staff member, and sign language interpreter.
The audience was filled with students, staff, faculty, friends and presenters of all ages, as well as supporters of those who presented their story.
DeChatelet said they had a “phenomenal turn out. We had 150 chairs set out, hoping to fill them all but not expecting to. We had to bring in 100 more chairs.”
“It’s so inclusive,” deChatelet added. “It’s not just students or staff. We had so many participants, and their communities came to support them.”
John Goldsmith, a junior and English major, said: “There was a huge turnout. We had to ask for five extra rows of chairs. We didn’t think it would be this big.”
Goldsmith also presented his monologue before the audience. He added that he had shared his story because “Western has been the best environment for me.”
Sam Stageman, a sophomore forensic chemistry major, also presented his story: “My story isn’t one told very often, so I thought that I should share it,” he said.
Stageman added that the event “really does give everyone a chance to tell their own stories.”
Goldsmith said the monologues were moving because “these are actual voices from campus. They are representing the school.”
Hall said she had thought about putting on this event for several years.
“There has been a lot of evolution in this age group around LGBTQ acceptance and I thought this is a really great opportunity to have some visibility and tell some stories [as well as] get people to kind of come together,” Hall said. “I just feel like when people are telling their truths and sharing their personal lived experiences, people connect, hearts open and minds open. People start to see things from different perspectives.”
The monologues, as many of the participants agreed, helped to create a sense of “community within a community,” presenter Evelyn Garcia, a senior psychology major, said.
A student in the audience, who wished to remain anonymous, said “It was really nice to see people like me and see them being so brave, and it was just really nice to see how others went about it, and it made me and my identity feel valid.”
