September 25, 2003 — In celebration of National Coming Out Day, the University of Utah Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center will present a series of Pride 2003 lectures, activities and performances. These events will run from Oct. 1st through the 18th, with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11th.
“This year’s programming is centered around the theme ‘Many Myths-Our Truths,’ which explores and dispels the many misconceptions surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. A powerful way that we can combat the destructive myths about LGBT people is to tell our stories, which bring out the truth,” notes Charles Milne, interim advisor to the U’s LGBT Resource Center.
University Pride activities are offered in conjunction with the University’s Office for Diversity, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah, the Utah AIDS Foundation, Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons and the Associated Students of the University of Utah’s Diversity Board and Presenter’s Office.
University Pride events will begin with a performance by comedian Margaret Cho on Oct. 1st, at 7:30 p.m., in Kingsbury Hall. Tickets are available at the Kingsbury Hall Box Office, the Olpin Union Main Desk or by calling ArtTix at 801-355-ARTS or going to www.arttix.org.
On Oct. 6th and 7th, there will be a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Film festival. Admission to all films is free. For film times and locations, go to http://www.sa.utah.edu/lgbt/.
A panel discussion titled “Colors of the Rainbow: Ethnic Minorities within the LGBT Community” will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 8th, at noon, in the University Union Theater. This discussion group, comprised of ethnic minority community members, will share and discuss LGBT experiences from ethnic, cultural and racial perspectives.
On Thursday, Oct. 9th, at noon, Rebecca Walker, activist and author of Black White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self, will give a keynote address in the University Union. TIME magazine recently named Walker one of the 50 future leaders of America.
That evening, at 6:30 p.m., a National Coming Out Day Dinner will be held to benefit the University’s LGBT Resource Center. The dinner will be held on the 23rd floor of the Wells Fargo Center, located at 299 S. Main Street, in downtown Salt Lake City. Participants will have an opportunity to meet Rebecca Walker and enjoy a performance by Australian comedian Sue Ann Post. Tickets are $65 per person or $30 for students. To make reservations for the evening, contact Charles Milne at 801-587-7973 or at cmilne@sa.utah.edu.
On Saturday, Oct. 11, a “The Homecoming You Never Had” dance will be held in the Olpin Union Ballroom, at 9 p.m., and will feature the Saliva Sisters.
The final Pride Week event will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, and will feature hip folk singer Ani DiFranco in concert, at 7:30 p.m., in the Huntsman Center. Tickets are $27.50 for the general public and $17.50 for students with valid I.D. Tickets may be purchased at the Olpin Union Main Desk, all Fred Meyer stores, Gray Whale stores, the Rice-Eccles Stadium Ticket Office, the Huntsman Center Ticket Office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 801-325-SEAT or by ordering online at www.ticketmaster.com.
For more information on the LGBT Resource Center at the University of Utah, call 801-587-7973 or go to www.sa.utah.edu/lgbt. The U’s LGBT Resource Center is located in room 317 of the Olpin Union Building, located at 200 South Central Campus Drive.