Victoria McKenzie/ Winonan
A little over a year ago, after first turning down the proposed law of defining marriage as a union between those of the opposite sex in the state constitution, Minnesota legalized gay marriage.
Despite this, Leah Bentfield, the president of the Winona State University Full Spectrum: Gay-Straight Alliance, said she thinks the LGBTQ community that many need to educated about.
“[Many have] heard the terms gay, lesbian, or bisexual, but there are so many stereotypes that are involved with those,” Bentfield said. However, she said she believed there is a lack of education in the rest of the spectrum.
Bentfield, a senior psychology major, has been involved in Full Spectrum since the start of her freshman year. Bentfield’s high school did not have a gay-straight alliance that she could join, but she said she is proud one has formed there since her graduation.
Oct. 11 was National Coming Out Day, which is a celebration and a show of support for the LGBTQ community.
While most campuses do multiple events for Coming Out Day, at Winona State, Full Spectrum club “decided to make a whole week of events to educate, fundraise and show general awareness on the Winona State campus in particular and the Winona community,” Bentfield said.
Although the Coming Out Week events have varied year-to-year since its beginning a few years ago, there are usually the same types of events: fundraising dance, speakers and activities, Bentfield said.
The week began with the fundraising dance, Fall Fling.
“Fall Fling was amazing, and I think it really jump started peoples’ excitement for the week,” Bentfield said.
The numerous other activities included a Safe Space training, which, was attended by a number of faculty, a screening of the movie “Rent,” due to the LGBTQ themes throughout the story and “Coming Out For Cake,” an event where people shared their coming out experiences with each other.
“This year [the speaker] was generously provided by the diversity office,” Bentfield said.
Each of the eight officers of the club oversaw a day and event throughout the week.
Bentfield organized the community spiritual dinner, as well as oversaw everyone else’s events to ensure the week’s events went smoothly.
“I am passionate about educating people about a cause that affects me personally and affects so many people,” Bentfield said.
She also added that although peoples’ chances to participate in this year’s Coming Out Week events have passed, there will be similar events held in the spring that are open to the student body.
During the spring, Full Spectrum hosts Pride Week, surrounding the National Day of Silence.
“Instead of a celebration like Coming Out Day, it is more for remembering and educating on why we have such high rates of mental illness, depression and suicide in our community,” Bentfield said.
Last week’s events, along with the Pride Week events in the spring, are just some of the ways Full Spectrum at Winona State are working toward making a minority’s rights not only legal but also understood, Bentfield said.
