October 10, 1994
ULY1X UO
*
The Battalion • Page 3
BA urges students to ‘come out’
gain
irus
listance Parten
'ALIGN
ing on a stage in front
than 100 people, Becky
| laughed as she began a
x demonstration by
i plastic penis from the
jeans.
allowing her co-
rator to place a condom
new appendage, she
I twirled the phony phal-
S;J le the audience laughed
T ' ’ll ally ’
Jones said, ageous behavior comes
d of pneuu; y to Pinkard, this year’s
esistanttoi t of Gay, Lesbian and Bi-
^lococcustaj aggies. Being “out” about
MQon antitii] ianism, though, was not
tious-diseasi as natural. But Pinkard
of Microbiol araging all gay, lesbian
as the anti !Xua J people to “come out”
ithediscovj National Coming Out
itnessedtk iking place this week,
o the med«] »nal Coming Out Week is
cnfromthei ua l event encouraging
•ic rautatioos ssbians and bisexuals to
rain ofbadej k friends, family and co-
•nre dominas 8 about their sexuality,
biotics. 1 said Coming Out Week
in blamedfo 'es positive self-esteem
pproach" m !a ks down prevalent ho-
uth a bate a l stereotypes.
i are uqsiw really important for
le to see that we are just
•s to play as
e carriers, (•
ch patient (i
with
lent infi
?eae Hospi
id that hi
regular people living regular
lives,” Pinkard said, “and the
only way I can make a difference
is to be out. Being able to do
things for GLBA in the public
eye is very important.”
Like many homosexuals and
bisexuals, Pinkard accepted her
sexuality in her early twenties.
But letting others know about
her sexuality, espe
cially her parents,
was very difficult.
“I had no inten
tions of telling my
parents when I
did,” Pinkard said.
“They came down
for a visit and met
the girl I was going
out with, along
with some of my
other friends. My
mom completely picked up on it.”
Pinkard said her mother
called after her visit and asked if
her girlfriend was gay.
“All I could do was say yes,”
Pinkard said. “Meanwhile I was
thinking, ‘what a way to word
that question.’” Before long,
Pinkard’s mother was asking if
she, too, was gay.
“When Mom called me at
work and asked me if I was con
sidering that lifestyle also, I told
her I didn’t want to talk about it
right then,” Pinkard said. “That
was all she needed to hear. She
was on her way down immedi
ately to talk to me.”
Pinkard’s mother said she
couldn’t believe her daughter
was a lesbian. Then her moth
er said she almost wished her
daughter hadn’t
been born. The
next day though,
she decided
Pinkard was still
her daughter, but
she just couldn’t
support her finan
cially anymore.
“When she said
she almost wished I
hadn’t been bom, it
broke me in two,”
Pinkard said. “The fact that they
weren’t going to give me money
anymore wasn’t that bad, but
what she said about not being
bom really hurt.”
Pinkard said that what hap
pened with her parents is pret
ty typical. She said most par
ents go through disbelief, de
nial, self-blame and anger be
fore they come to terms with
their child’s sexuality.
Catherine Utsler/Special to The Battalion
wheeling... Aggie style
,aces
■group of students found themselves in a
Btoment when one of the wheels came off
1/ie car they were riding in. While the owner
'the car went to get help, Josh Pillow
(right), a sophomore management major from
Houston, and Joe Gomez, a junior mechani
cal engineering major also from Houston,
stayed with the stranded vehicle.
“Parents go through the same
process we do when we start
dealing with our sexuality,”
Pinkard said. “Expecting them
to accept it immediately is a lit
tle too hopeful. If you want to
tell someone really close to you,
like your parents, you have to
expect them to take at least as
long to deal with it as you did.
That’s only fair.”
For some people, coming out
is a much easier process. GLBA
Treasurer Hobby Benavides had
a comparatively easy time. He
said his family dealt with his be
ing gay really well.
“I’ve always been pretty close
to my family,” Benavides said,
“and they took it pretty well, es
pecially my dad.”
Benavides said he told his
mom over the Christmas holi
days three years ago. At the
time she was a little upset, but
she has come to terms with it
and is now very supportive.
“My whole family is really
supportive, but my dad really
surprised me,” Benavides said.
“I thought he would take it hard
er than my mom, but he accept
ed it immediately.”
Benavides said the hardest
thing about coming out for him
was that there are no adult role
models that are openly gay.
“This is a cultural group with
out an adult support system,”
Benavides said, “and when
you’re coming out, you think you
are the only one in the world.
It’s really lonely.”
Benavides said that when he
realized he was gay, he was
afraid he would start wanting
to wear dresses or become very
effeminate.
“People have pre-conceived
ideas of what gay people are
like,” Benavides said. “They rec
ognize the stereotypical people
because that is what they expect
to see. I was no different.”
Benavides said the most im
portant thing National Coming
Out Week can accomplish is
breaking down the pre-conceived
ideas about homosexuals and let
ting people know that they really
do know someone gay.
“I came out because I wanted
other gay people to know that
they aren’t the only ones out
here,” Benavides said, “and that
they aren’t going to turn into
someone else just because they
can accept who they are.”
nter
vices
Floppy Toe’s
New games just in:
System Shock Darksun II Colonization
Ving Commander Armada Masters of Magic
We carry joysticks, sound cards,
D ROM drives, fax modems and video cards.
3
ed CD's
stations)
ip static'
FREE
one year membership
with this coupon
expires: 12-31-94
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FALL RECEPTION
Wednesday, October 12 • 8:00 p.m.
MSC Forsyth Gallery
Featuring distinguished guests from
Washington, D.C. and American University:
*David Cortland Brown, Ph.D.
Dean, Washington Semester and World Capitals Programs
*Louis W. Goodman
Professor and Dean, School of International Service
*Ambassador A. Valdez, Class ‘64
-Meet new INTS majors, officers, and faculty
-Learn about upcoming events -Refreshments will be served
ALL INTS MAJORS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND
*Sunday Dress Recommended
/
BREITLING
1884
jn editor
oto editor
)rts editor
5 editor
GRADUATE STUDIES
and
POST-PH.D. OPPORTUNITIES
in
COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES
A BRIEF LECTURE AND
FOLLOWUP DISCUSSION
»rge
ileson
tation,
Building' Tew
University 1 ^
om phoned
ntby^J
advertise"
to5p.n'> 10
nd$50P e,f “' h
OLD NAVITIMKR
sell-winding chronograph
ISct gold, stool bicolor, steel
Leather strap or metal bracelet.
Instruments for Professionals
Loose Diamonds • Fine Jewelry • Rare Coins
Precious Metals • Fine Watches
JOHN D. HUNTLEY, INC.
“Very Personal Investments”
313-B S. College Ave.
College Station, TX 77840
(409) 846-8916
John D. Huntley
President
with
PROFESSOR H.T. BANKS
• University Professor and Drexel Professor of Mathematics
North Carolina State University
• Director, Center for Research in Scientific Computation
North Carolina State University
• Founder pnd First Director, Center for Applied Mathematics
University of Southern California
• Associate Member and Scientific Consultant
Institute of Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)
NASA Langley Research Center
If you are interested in applied mathematics and computational
sciences, don’t miss Professor Banks' lecture! He will discuss
graduate studies as well as academic and nonacademic career
opportunities available after earning a Ph.D. in this area.
Undergraduate and graduate students from all majors are
welcome.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
7:00 PM
HARRINGTON 105
X
Vote
#
on the ballot. . .
BLAKE McKIMNEY
For Freshman Class
PRESIDENT
The RUN-OFF election is tomorrow!
(Voting Locations: The MSC, Blocker, Zachary, Evans Library and Kleberg)
hggihand?
Join MSC r 0J|g^ ISSUES and
representrfnves from :
UNIVERSITY POLICE
COLLEGE STATION POLICE
STUDENT COUNSELING SERVICES
for a discussion on how YOU can create a
safer environment.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12
7:30 P.M. IN ZACHRY 103
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES PLEASE CALL US AT 849-1515 TO INFORM US OF TOUR
SPECIAL NEEDS. WE REQUEST NOTIFICATION THREE (3) WORKING DATS PRIOR TO
THE EVENT TO ENABLE US TO ASSIST TOU TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITT.
WILEY
LECTURE
SERIES
Memorial Student Center
GOLDMINE OR
MINEFIELD?
A symposium on
U.S. Business Opportunities in
Asia and the Far East
Featuring:
Mr. Brett Lippencott
An Asian Affairs Analyst at the Heritage Foundation
Mr. Joseph Greenwald
A former ambassador and an international lawyer
Dr. Julian Caspar
Texas A&M, Director of Center for International
Business Studies
October 11 at 7:30 p.m.
MSC 206