Student organization shows support for LGBT students, allies

As students milled across campus at Winona State University last Wednesday, Oct. 11, members of the student organization Full Spectrum wheeled a door out from the theatre and dance department and set it by a table outside of Kryzsko Commons. The group draped a rainbow-colored flag across the slightly ajar door, inviting all who passed by to “come out of the closet” for National Coming Out Day.

“I know people who come out every single year,” junior and co-president of Full Spectrum Sydney Radler said. “We had a professor come out earlier. It’s been fun.”

Full Spectrum is a student-led organization that seeks to inform the Winona State and general Winona communities about sexual orientation and gender diversity and advocate for the rights of LGBT people.

The club’s known history stems back to 1994, though after 2004, it went by the name “GLBTA Partnership” until it was changed to “Full Spectrum: WSU Gender and Sexuality Alliance” in 2014.

Full Spectrum typically meets every Thursday at 6:00 pm in Minne 110 for approximately an hour to an hour and a half.

“We try to keep [meetings] balanced between activism and education and then also some fun games so people can hang out and mingle,” Radler said.

The organization’s fall fundraiser, the Fall Fling dance, is on Oct. 27 this year from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Island City Brewing Company.

Radler, who is majoring in social work and minoring in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, joined during her first year at Winona State.

“I just heard that there was a gay-straight

alliance on campus. I didn’t know what it was. I

got dragged by a friend and I was really hesitant at first,” Radler said. “I immediately was absorbed into the group and it was really welcoming and awesome and accepting.  The next year I was voted fundraising chair and this year I’m co-president.”

The organization’s fundraising chair officer, a senior journalism major Charlie Egberg, had a similar beginning experience.

“I first started my freshman year,” Egberg said. “I had a friend—my first friend that I came out to—[hear] about it and she asked me to go, so I went and I’ve been here ever since.”

Egberg was one of the members who stood behind the Full Spectrum table on Wednesday. The organization set up the table and door every day of the week with the exception of Tuesday, which was University Improvement Day.

To celebrate National Coming Out Day, Full Spectrum arranged activities for the entire week, which included crafts and pumpkin decorating, a movie night and a sex education workshop. 

Full Spectrum also hosted a talk during their weekly meeting about the Native American “Two Spirit” identities to recognize the overlap of Coming Out Week with Indigenous People’s Week. 

First-year Erik Derby, a public health major, was also standing by the table and door on Wednesday. Derby said that he wanted to help others as the organization had helped him.

“We’re trying to provide a safer space and show that there is a community for people who haven’t come out yet or who have come out and are just looking for like-minded folks,” Derby said. “I came out on Monday, and now I’m hoping I can help someone else if they wanted to.”

Radler said that society is still not as accepting of differing gender identities and sexual orientation as it should be, which is why National Coming Out Day is so important.

“I think that [National Coming Out Day] gives just that little push for people who might be hesitant about coming out,” Radler said. “It’s just encouraging and it creates a sense of unity. It’s really a powerful day. I know so many people who have used this day to come out.”