OUT Week 2006

OUT Week 2006 takes over campus with social, educational events

by Dwayne Steward
Speakeasy
Staff Writer
Fri, Oct. 06, 2006

OUT Week 2006 was organized by Open Doors,
OU's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender student union.

OUT Week 2006 kicks off on Sunday and this year’s rendition plans to be the best yet, said Open Doors co-chair Maggie Best-Miller.

Traditionally taking the lead, Open Doors, Ohio University’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allies student union, has put in extra hours to line up a fun, educational, and enlightening programs throughout the week.

“This year’s theme is kind of controversial, but that’s what we were going for,” Best-Miller said. “We wanted it to be about shock value but also about equality.”

The “Garden of Gayden” themed week will feature self-published author and poet Rashid Darden as its keynote speaker, presenting “When Oppressed People Oppress: The Intersections of Race & Sexual Orientation” Wednesday night, which is also national Coming Out Day. Darden, a native of Washington D.C., recently published his novel, “Lazarus,” chronicling the trials faced by a closeted gay sophomore pledging a black fraternity.

Darden’s visit to OU is being sponsored by the LGBT Programs Center and Lindley Multicultural Center. The rest of the week was completely organized by Open Doors and its co-chairs Best-Miller, a senior chemistry and criminology major, and Joe Evans, a sophomore molecular plant biology and exercise physiology major.

Most of the funding for OUT Week came out of Opens Doors’ own pocket, Best-Miller said, making it all the more personal. Planning for the event-packed week commenced back in winter quarter, Evans said. “It takes about six months to plan."

For Best-Miller the highlight of the week will be the Annual Drag Show on Friday night. The group made a real effort by booking “Penelope Cruz,” a $2,000 endeavor.

“Penelope is our big performance,” Best-Miller said. “She does a really great drag performance and we wanted a fun end to the week.”

The Queer Aquarium, an OUT Week staple, is a performance art interpretation of the fish bowl response from society that sometimes attaches itself to the gay experience. This year’s aquarium will be replaced with the Garden of Gayden. A post-modern erotic garden scene will replace the usual aquatic decorations.

“I’m really looking forward to [it],” Evans said. “It’ll be a lot of fun and we’re going to have bobbing for apples and that’s going to make my entire month.”

OUT Week will officially begin with a kickoff party Sunday at University Campus Ministries, 18 N. College St., where t-shirts and banners will be made for the annual march Tuesday afternoon. The week will end with a Heaven and Hell themed dance party at Casa Nueva, 4 W. State St., and the annual picnic Sunday afternoon at Stroud’s Run State Park.