By Kiara Catanzaro
News Editor
Students have the opportunity to gain perspective about the LGBTQA community at St. Bonaventure University at an event next week.
On Thursday, April 10, St. Bonaventure’s Spectrum, an organization that promotes awareness and provides support for LGBTQA students, will host the event titled, “Are You Questioning?”
The event, to be held in the Dresser Auditorium in the John J. Murphy Professional Building at 7 p.m., will feature four speakers including Emily Jo Manchester, a sophomore Spanish major, Sabine Wakim, a sophomore international studies and philosophy major, David Bryant, a freshman journalism and mass communication major and Ellie Perez-Gonzalez, a sophomore psychology major.
Joy Miller, president of Spectrum said there will be an opportunity for students to ask anonymous questions at the event.
“There will be a chance for students on campus to listen to the personal stories of their peers. In this way we can help build up a sense of community in terms of LGBTQA,” Miller said. “Students who attend are also given the chance to ask questions candidly and anonymously of the clubs advisers Sean Conklin and Chris Brown. This way, we can educate students without them feeling embarrassed.”
Bryant said he hopes students learn more about positive coming-out experiences from his story.
“I’m talking about my coming out , my experience, my acceptance and my synthesis because this marked the beginning of my life as the person I was always meant to be,” Bryant said. “I hope students will learn not all coming out stories are sad ones. It’s possible for someone to have an amazing and ideal coming out story, so don’t be afraid.”
Wakim said students will learn information about the LGBTQA community and how they can use that information to become an informed ally.
“It’s important because people get to share their lives with their fellow students. It’s a safe open forum where people can inform themselves and have positive discourse on a contentious issue in today’s society they may not know a lot about,” Wakim said.
Wakim said it’s important that a campus like St. Bonaventure has allies, because they are an essential part to the LGBTQA+ community.
“Allies are crucial toward helping the community and that standing up for causes, whether or not they directly affect you, sets a precedent that rights are important and everyone can have a voice,” Wakim said.
Manchester said the event is also important for the campus community to support members of the LGBTQA community.
“This event is important because students on campus who identify within the LGBTQA community are not separate from the Bona community as a whole, so all of the Bona Bubble needs to be aware of the needs and struggles of its community,” Manchester said.
Miller offered advice to the campus community on how they can be supportive of the LGBT+ community at St. Bonaventure.
“St. Bonaventure students can be supportive by attending events, meetings and being an ally in general,” Miller said. “You don’t have to be apart of Spectrum to be a friend to the LGBTQA community.”
