Coming Out Day Marked

To mark National Coming Out Day, the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Students Association (BGLSA) tabled dining halls throughout the campus Sunday and distributed flyers with slogans like "I am out therefore I am" and "The Word is Out!."

"It's basically designed to give people who want to come out an excuse to do it," said Joel L. Derfner '95, treasurer of the BGLSA. "Our activities included making sure that people know there are gays and lesbians around."

BGLSA members passed out pink triangle stickers along with flyers containing facts and information about bisexual and gay history, associations and issues.

The message is "we are here for you," according to Javier Romero '95, BGLSA's vice-chair. "The purpose essentially of tabling is to be a presence for bisexuals, lesbians and gays," he said.

Gays and lesbians were forced to wear pink triangles in Nazi concentration camps.

Flyers presented information on gay and lesbian discussion and support groups at Harvard and around Boston. Students were reminded that they are not alone, with statistics about other gays and lesbians.

The event was an attempt to lend support to those who have yet to come out, Romero said.

"The tables are more to let people know that this is going on," Derfner said. "I think that a lot of people that we're reaching are those who are not ready to deal with it."