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Thursday, March 28, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

LGBTQ+ students share coming-out stories with community

Ellie Gaustria first came out to her mother when she was 11.

At the time, she didn’t even know the word “transgender,” she said. She just knew she wasn’t like other boys.

“I felt like a girl trapped in a boy’s body,” the 22-year-old UF nursing junior said.

On Tuesday, Gaustria was part of a panel discussion hosted by UF’s Pride Student Union at the Insitute of Black Culture, where she and two others from the student organization opened up to an audience of seven.

They talked about their journeys of identifying their sexuality or gender.

The event honored National Coming Out Day, which celebrates individuals who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The panel discussed how coming out is a process, one that varies for every person. But after someone comes out, it’s a constant routine with everyone they meet.

Gaustria said identifying as a trans woman of color means putting herself in danger due to the high crime rate against women of color who identify with the transgender community.

But she said she felt it was important to represent people who identified like her.

“You can’t educate people on an identity unless there’s a face to it,” she said, “and so having proud people of our community speak and articulate their identities is quite crucial for our culture’s existence.”

Carolyna Guillen, the president of PSU, said some members of the LGBTQ+ community don’t like celebrating coming-out day because they think it shouldn’t be considered an accomplishment.

People identifying as non-heterosexual should be considered normal, she said.

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“No one ever has to come out as straight,” the 21-year-old UF microbiology junior said.

The panel also discussed how individuals shouldn’t feel pressured to come out.

Because of the lack of protection by federal laws, they risk being fired from work, among other repercussions.

Nate Quinn, 18, said his story of coming out happened three times: once as a lesbian, once as a trans man and once as pansexual.

The UF psychology freshman said listening to the panel’s stories allowed him to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ people of color.

Quinn said he was able to compare his own transition to Gaustria’s story, although Gaustria lost her male privilege when she transitioned, while Quinn gained his.

When Quinn came out in his hometown of Sarasota, Florida, he said he didn’t always feel safe. Revealing his true identity, he said, put him in danger. But being true to himself came first.

“Always support people in your life when they come out,” he said. “No matter what it is. No matter what you understand or don’t."

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