SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Central New York colleges were some of the only local places that hosted events for National Coming Out Day on Wednesday.
Many local venues refused to host LGBTQ events in fear of backlash from their more traditional clientele, Electra Qute, a CNY drag queen, said.
“Coming together as a group of people is more than just ‘Hey I’m gay look at me,'” Electra Qute said. “It’s a time of peace, celebration, and remembrance.” Electra is proud to lead the local queer community by example, something he did Wednesday night during his drag performance at Mohawk Valley Community College.
Although Syracuse University hasn’t been able to prevent hate crimes, it has been working to support the queer community on campus through events like Wednesday’s National Coming Out Day celebration. Throughout the day, students, faculty, and community members took a moment to tie-dye t-shirts and decorate the sidewalk on the Quad.
“Today is our day to not be afraid, to celebrate our identities,” Abby Traska, SU Pride Union Secretary, said.
But National Coming Out Day also acknowledges the fear most queer people experience when coming out, Traska noted. Traska came out as nonbinary at SU, but hasn’t been able to open up to their parents.
“My parents view me as their last ‘real daughter’ and I don’t know how to tell them I haven’t been that for years,” Traska said. “It’s not easy to do a little bit of Tetris or something to figure out what pieces to tell them and what I have to leave out in order to keep that barrier in place.”
Electra Qute remembered experiencing similar conflicting feelings when he prepared to come out to his parents.
“I feel like there’s still a fear of that nature amongst queer people today,” Electra Qute said. “young queer people who still want to have connections with and be loved by their family.”
Electra’s religious, conservative upbringing made it difficult for him to see how his parents could accept him for who he truly was. He saved up some money in case he was kicked out of the house and disowned.
Electra thinks the queer community should use National Coming Out Day as an opportunity to educate homophobic people and guide parents struggling with their child’s journey.
“At the end of the day, we’re all just human beings,” Electra said. “The heteronormative and the queer communities are living together in one big fish bowl and we have to be compassionate toward one another in order to coexist.”
