The Westminster LGBT+ Forum and University of Westminster held the first Coming Out, Staying Out event on 22 November to a packed room at Portland Hall. This evening of testimony, film, music and joy was presented by Professor Pippa Catterall and Chris Barlow, Westminster LGBT+ Forum Co-chairs.
This inaugural public event celebrated queer experience, and acknowledged the courage it takes to come out and the sustained action and inclusion needed to stay out. Support and advice were available as participants shared stories of courage, resilience and encouragement.
Professor Catterall said: “Coming Out, Staying Out achieved all we hoped for and more. We started with powerful accounts of coming out and moved onto how people can be supported to stay out, while throughout celebrating and affirming LGBTQ+ experiences. Private conversations with some of those attending showed why it is so important to run events like this.”
The evening was broken into three sections. Part one focused on testimony and the process of coming out and featured a panel featuring academic and activists including Pippa Catterall, Kate M. Graham, Anick Soni, Nikos Souvlakis and Francis Ray White. They led a discussion with a range of coming out experiences and stories.
Giving advice on being gender queer, Francis Ray White said: “There is so much messiness that coming out tries to put into a neat little box - we need to embrace that messiness...Find community and be firm in what you ask of people. You don’t have to justify yourself; you can choose what information you give people, and they don’t deserve your truth every time.”
Part two emphasised the importance of support. Chris Barlow, Chair of the Westminster LGBT Forum, held a conversation with a series of support organisations. They talked about how they support LGBTQIA+ people to come out, stay out and stay safe. Counselling support and quiet rooms were on hand throughout the event.
Rachel Padilla, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons' Trust, highlighted the importance of intergenerational interactions in the LGBT+ community, noting that strength can be taken from older queer people with positive life experiences, and that expanding reach to all generations is deeply impactful. Ted Brown, a Gay Liberation Front veteran, spoke about the difficulty of navigating care homes as an LGBT+ person. Representatives Sophie Wilkinson of East London Out Project and Mark Healy of the 17-24-30 group and Rainbow Boroughs Project also spoke.
Part three of the event invited celebration with a relaxed meet and mingle. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the work of the Westminster LGBT Forum+ and the other organisations showcased, accompanied by an ambient soundtrack of queer joy curated by Massimo da Simone.
This free event was supported by the University of Westminster and Westminster City Council and sponsored by The King of Soho gin and Fevertree Tonic.
Learn more about support for LGBT students at the University of Westminster.
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