Even as Alliance members raised awareness and spread support for National Coming Out Day in the Curris Center Friday, Jody Cofer randall, LGBT program coordinator, said members kept their eyes on the prize: Homecoming.
Cofer randall said due to limited resources and people, Alliance chose to use more of its energy preparing for its Homecoming Parade next Saturday.
Alliance has participated in Murray State’s Homecoming parade and at tent City the last few years.
‘Being in the Homecoming Parade is important because it raises awareness to a different community,” Cofer randall said. “At Homecoming you have a lot of alumni coming in and a lot of people who don’t normally attend the events that Alliance does so it’s a great opportunity to raise visibility.”
He said that Alliance’s minimalistic approach to National Coming Out Day is not to lessen the impact of the day, but because the group tries to go to where the audience is.
Visibility is especially important for Alliance at this time, he said, because its annual drag show had to be delayed into November.
Cofer randall said participating in non-Alliance-sponsored events on campus like the Homecoming festivities and others shows the community that there is nothing wrong or different about the LGBT community.
“We walk in the parade, we sell chili at tent city … we’re trying to de-stigmatize and normalize our community as part of Murray State,” he said. “We’re going to move more hearts and minds on the 19th than on the 11th.”
Staff Report