Rally supports LGBT community

Wearing stickers that read, "I support National Coming Out Day" and waving multi-colored balloons, the crowd at the National Coming Out Day rally was effusive and appreciative. And the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community had a lot to celebrate. Not only was it the largest NCOD rally ever held at Penn, with speakers that included Candace Gingrich, half-sister of the conservative former speaker of the House, and former professional baseball player Billy Bean, it was also the day that a $2 million donation for a new LGBT Center was officially announced. University President Judith Rodin announced the gift, which was given by alumni and life partners David Goodhand, 37, and Vincent Griski, 36. The gift will go toward giving Penn's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center a new home in the Carriage House. During the rally, a range of speakers, including several students, University officials and different spokespeople affiliated with the Human Rights Campaign -- an organization that fights for gay and lesbian rights -- addressed the crowd. Provost Robert Barchi and Rodin both reaffirmed Penn's dedication to diversity. Rodin noted that the donation would help continue to create an accepting and supportive environment at Penn -- an environment the donors enjoyed when they were students here. "What is most gratifying is that Penn fostered an environment where [Goodhand and Griski] could live openly as a loving couple," Rodin said. Goodhand then spoke, explaining that the new LGBT Center was both a gift and a challenge to the University community. "We can create a space," he said. "But we can't create change." The day's keynote speakers were Gingrich and Bean. Gingrich is the manager of the HRC's National Coming Out Day Project and a leading spokeswoman for LGBT issues. Gingrich offered a concise speech in which she explained the origins and importance of NCOD. "The idea was that we could not achieve equality from the closet," she said. The only way to achieve equality is through awareness, she argued, and that will come only when people are open and honest about their sexuality. Gingrich also called for increased political involvement on the part of the LGBT community, citing voting as a means of enacting change. College junior Ryan Baber, who particularly enjoyed Gingrich's speech, appreciated her message. "I liked the fact that she urged political action in a very non-partisan way," he said. Bean, who retired from pro baseball in 1995, publicly came out a year ago and is one of a very small number of gay professional athletes to do so. Like Gingrich, he spoke about the importance of coming out but, reflecting on his own experiences, emphasized that it is a difficult and individual process. "Every one of our journeys is different," he said. "You need to respect the place where everyone is." Other speakers included graduate and undergraduate students who are involved in different LGBT Center-affiliated groups as well as Michael Crawford, the eastern field coordinator for HRC. The rally was followed by a reception in Houston Hall and Gingrich and Crawford later attended a Queer Student Alliance meeting. Roughly 20 students attended the gathering, which was held in Irvine Auditorium. In a conversation with students, Gingrich again emphasized the importance of voting and of increasing awareness. "What I hope you understand is that there are things you can do to make it better for us," she said.

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