Sharing life-changing personal stories, with a large audience, brings on a sense of vulnerability some may never have to experience in their lifetimes. 11 individuals of the CSUSM community stepped outside of their comfort zones to tell their story of the times they came out to their loved ones, regarding their identity.

On Nov. 7 in the Arts building performance hall, the ASI Pride center, hosted the Coming Out Monologues. This opportunity allowed the CSUSM community to share stories that represent the diverse experiences from those that identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and allies.  The speakers shared stories of being both accepted and unwelcome, these stories gave insight on the varied paths that were taken to finding their own identities.

With an audience consisting of CSUSM students, faculty, friends and supporters, more than 75 individuals came out to hear the stories that represented compassion, courage, fear, connection and curiosity.

Event lead Quanjun Sun, a CSUSM junior, said the goal of this event was to get the audience to “acknowledge the process of coming out” and that the Pride center believes that “if people know the life of the LBGTQA+ members, they will be more likely to support equal rights for them. Also, it gives inspiration and perspectives for those people who haven’t come out.”

This Coming Out Monologues event is an adaptation inspired by a play The Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler and annually sponsored by the national organization, V-Day. Students at the University of California, Riverside created the original Coming Out Monologues production in 2007.

The Pride center would like the CSUSM community to “support your friends; don’t out them under any circumstance. Coming out is personal.”

To find out about future Pride center events, stop by USU 3100 or follow them on Instagram at @asi.pride