When Director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality (CGS) Gregory Pulver attended a Washington, D.C.-based conference for Catholic queer individuals, he was inspired by a speaker from Georgetown University. The speaker introduced the concept of “OUTober ”— a dedicated month for hosting events and fostering safe spaces for queer people on college campuses.
This year, the University of Portland will join the celebration by hosting “OUTober” on campus, an initiative sponsored by the Center for Gender and Sexuality which includes a total of 11 different events meant to bring the community together and provide an idea of what services will be offered through the CGS.
“OUTober” will be underway all through the end of October, a month recognized as LGBTQ+ History Month and also includes National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.
“I want people to understand that expression of gender, expression of sexuality doesn't have to be a scary thing,” Pulver said. “It can be an activating thing. I also just want the population to bring focus to people that you know who are queer in your community, and the student community and the faculty community, to understand that we do have a month to talk about these kinds of things.”
To start the month and introduce itself to the community, the center will hold its grand opening on Oct. 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The center is located on the lower level of Orrico Hall.
“Everybody's welcome, staff, faculty and students,” Pulver said. “And it's just sort of like, here we are, this is what we're going on. This is our new furniture and this is, you know, drop-in hours, and we'll just have a couple of information things.”
Following the grand opening, on Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m., the Gender Sexuality Partnership (GSP) club and Campus Ministry will host their second annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil at the Bell Tower.
Campus Ministry is also collaborating with the CGS to host an International Pronouns Day celebration on Oct. 23 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the library courtyard.
According to Pulver, the center's engagement with Campus Ministry has been a crucial part of OUTober’s success.
“I want to make sure that students who are in a faith practice and are coming out or changing their identity have a link with that ministry and that kind of thing,” Pulver said. “So that's where it's sort of like the golden triangle of how we work together.”
Within that golden triangle, Pulver also includes the Wellness Center. Located in Orrico Hall, Pulver sees the Wellness Center as a benefit to students struggling with their identity.
Wellness Program Coordinator Mylea Braun will lead two guided meditation sessions during “OUTober” on Oct. 25 from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
“If anyone is in the exploration of their gender or sexuality, it's all about sort of breathing and understanding that what you're doing is a good path,” Pulver said. “And for everyone to know you're loved and you're worthy of all these kinds of things.”
The Wellness Center and the CGS are also working in collaboration to put on two discussions targeting queer wellness. The first, “Healthy Relationships,” will take place on Oct. 10 from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., followed by “Sexual Health and Wellness” on Oct. 24 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“It's focused on relationships and consent in same-sex and transgender couples, as opposed to what healthy relationships are in generally straight couples,” Pulver said. “This is going to be geared towards that because sometimes there's a blurry line between that.”
The center will host two film screenings this month, featuring “Pride” on Oct. 10 and “Hocus Pocus” on Oct. 24. Both events will begin at 7 p.m.
To close out “OUTober” the CGS will be collaborating with the theology department to host a “Fiction, Faith and Sexuality” discussion. According to Pulver, this discussion will be led by Professor Brandy Daniels and is meant to debunk some of the negative associations between religion and queer people.
For Pulver, “OUTober” is meant to create a time on campus to discuss and celebrate sexuality, but it is not the only time to do so.
“Look out for other events this year,” Pulver said. “I want to bring focus to that. It's not just “OUTober”, it's gonna continue.”
For any further questions, the CGS is available by email at centergs@up.edu.
Netty Jurriaans is the Community Engagement Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at jurriaan25@up.edu.
