National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 had people all over the world celebrating their sexuality. Events were held both locally and globally. The day is supported every year by the Human Rights Campaign, which also provides themes for the day. Furthermore, they have an entire section on their website to explain National Coming Out Day’s 28-year-old history.

The first National Coming Out Day was held 28 years ago, on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The reason for this celebration was to commemorate “the power of coming out.”

Since then, the day has expanded to include celebrations all over the world. Locally, the University of Oregon has events planned all week. On National Coming Out Day itself, there was a bouncy house, a beach ball and tables with information on the lawn by the Erb Memorial Union. On Oct. 12, there was a trans poetry event including readings by KOKUMO and Cat Fitzpatrick, transgender poets, as well as a mixer for graduate and nontraditional LGBTQIA+ students, hosted by the LGBTQA3. On Oct. 13, there was a talk about queering up the bedroom. Finally, tonight, the LGBTQA3 is hosting “Queeraoke,” a friendly space for queer people to lip-sync and sing karaoke. All of these events are a great way for queer people to get together and celebrate their identities.

However, all these events specific to queer people brings the question, why do we have a National Coming Out Day?

In an ideal world, people wouldn’t have to come out as queer. The only reason people feel the need to come out today is because we live in a heteronormative society. This means that heterosexuality is the default sexuality, so people assume an individual is heterosexual unless they state otherwise. If people didn’t automatically assume one’s romantic and sexual attraction, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal to identify as queer.

Today, if you don’t come out as queer, people may assume you’re straight. This can be annoying and even damaging to people because their identities are being erased. This is especially a problem for people in a heterosexual-assuming relationship. An example of this is a man and a woman together, wherein one or both of the people are pansexual (attracted to all genders). People assume that the people in the relationship are straight, even though they aren’t. This is just one of the reasons why queer people choose to come out, in order to avoid being mislabeled.

National Coming Out Day is a great opportunity for queer people to be open about their sexuality, but it’s not for everybody. One of the great debates among the queer community, and beyond, is whether allies, those who support the LGBTQIA+ community, should come out to events on National Coming Out Day.

While I always appreciate the support and love I receive from allies, I don’t think they should come out on National Coming Out Day. Queer people gain confidence from coming out and being accepted, and this day is meant for them. National Coming Out Day is historically for queer people, and allies coming out to show support draw the focus away from the people who actually derive power from the experience. However, I do think that allies should make themselves known, so that queer people have more people they can feel safe and comfortable around. National Coming Out Day just isn’t the day to do it.

The other group of people that National Coming Out Day isn’t necessarily for is a select group of queer people for whom it isn’t safe. Whether you’re still living with your parents who are homophobic or transphobic, or you don’t feel comfortable about your sexuality, you should know that it’s okay not to come out on National Coming Out Day. You may want to consider the following things before coming out: whether it’s safe, if you have a support system and a plan and whether you’re comfortable with it. Regardless of whether you choose to come out or not, know that there are people out there that will love and support you unconditionally.

Whether you’re queer or not, National Coming Out Day is a great way to celebrate the queer people in your life. Don’t forget to reach out to them at this time.

With the first presidential debate just behind us, the presidential campaign is heating up. Only a month remains until Oregon residents’ ballots are due. However, despite the election coming up, some of the presidential candidates’ views are still unclear — like what their positions are regarding LGBTQA+ issues.

Hillary Clinton’s website states that “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans deserve to live their lives free from discrimination.” Clinton considers the Supreme Court’s ruling, which says LGBT couples should be able to marry, a success for America, but admits that the country still has a ways to go. With that said, the main goals she listed on her website for progress in the LGBTQA+ community are to: fight for full federal equality for LGBT Americans, support LGBT youth, parents, and elders, honor the military service of LGBT people, fight for an AIDS-free generation, protect transgender rights and promote human rights of LGBT people around the world. Although some of her points are a little more vague than I’d like to see, she still has a clear list of goals for the LGBTQA+ community, should she become president.

Contrary to Clinton, there was very little information to be gleaned from Tim Kaine’s website. However, it is stated that he supported Obama’s fight for “fair treatment for LGBT Americans.” He also supported the fight to stop the discrimination against nominating gay judges.

Overall, it is clear from this information that Clinton and Kaine’s campaign is prioritizing the LGBTQA+ issues, which an important step that all presidential candidates should take.

On the other side of the political spectrum, Donald Trump is not as clear on his stance regarding LGBTQA+ issues. Although he has stated that transgender people should use “whatever bathroom they feel is appropriate,” he has actually shown support for North Carolina’s HB2 law, which forbids transgender people from using the bathroom in public. This is just one of the examples that proves that Trump’s stance on LGBTQA+ issues is unclear. Moreover, he has also shown support for the First Amendment Defense Act  (FADA). The FADA states that the government cannot discriminate against people who are acting in the name of religion. An example of this was the controversy surrounding Kim Davis, who is a clerk in Kentucky who refused to distribute a marriage license to a gay couple.

Another way Trump has been unclear regarding his stance on LGBTQA+ issues is with his views on marriage equality. On one side, he has stated in the past that he does not support marriage equality. However, even after the Supreme Court passed a bill allowing same sex marriage to be legal, Trump was still ambiguous on his views. Although he did not support the Supreme Court’s decision, he was also unwilling to support a constitutional amendment that would re-ban same sex marriage.

To make Trump’s stance on LGBTQA+ issues even more confusing, his views on conversion therapy (therapy that forces LGBTQA+ people to become heterosexual), LGBTQA+ adoption, and anti-bullying are unclear. However, by choosing Mike Pence as his vice presidential candidate, Trump has shown his true colors. Pence signed a bill allowing businesses to discriminate against LGBTQA+ people. He also said that gay couples signal a “societal collapse,” and that they contribute to a “deterioration of marriage and family.” Furthermore, Pence stated that being gay was a choice. He opposed the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal which was a military policy that didn’t allow soldiers to openly identify as gay. He also opposed the Obama administration directive on transgender bathrooms, which allows transgender students to use whichever bathroom they prefer.

As a whole, it’s safe to say that Trump and Pence are against human rights for the LGBTQA+ community. They do not support transgender people enough to give them the dignity of using whichever bathroom they feel comfortable with, and they support bills and laws that allow people to discriminate against the LGBTQA+ community.

Although Trump’s views are not entirely clear, based on his past comments, which bills he supports, and his choice of vice presidential candidate, we can assume that Trump will not help the LGBTQA+ community.

Hopefully by the time we watch the next debate, the issues surrounding the LGBTQA+ community will be brought up and everyone will see what Trump’s views really are.

Last week was Bisexual Visibility Week, Sept. 19-26, and Bisexual Visibility Day, Sept. 23. The events last seven days and bring awareness to the bisexual community. Bisexual Visibility Day holds the most celebratory activities.

Bisexual Visibility Day is a worldwide phenomenon. Portland, Oregon, hosted a retreat for those who are bisexual at the coast, “to remember the past; to celebrate the present; to build the future.” There were also events in Salt Lake City, New York City, Columbus, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and more.

There isn’t a lot of information about the foundation of Bisexual Visibility Day, but it was coined in 1999, in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Events vary from zine making and film screening to talks, book launches and fundraisers.

Bisexual Visibility Week may be gaining ground. But what, exactly, is bisexuality?

However, after everything that has been said, there is still a question that has not been answered. What, exactly, is bisexuality?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines bisexuality as attraction to both males and females. It is important to note, however, that this definition ignores the social context in which bisexuality is placed today.

Some people define bisexuality as attraction to men or women. Others define it as attraction to two or more genders, broadening the definition to include those who don’t strictly identify as a man or woman.

Some people argue that people who are bisexual are transphobic (against transgender people) because they ignore those who don’t identify as a man or woman. This assumes those who identify as bisexual use the former definition. Critics advocate for pansexuality (attraction to all genders), saying it is gender inclusive. However, identifying as bisexual does not always imply transphobia. It merely means an attraction to two or more genders.

So why do we need Bisexual Visibility Day?

Bi erasure is a common experience among those who are bisexual. If you’re with someone of the opposite sex, people assume you’re straight, and if you’re with someone of the same sex, people assume you’re gay. This erases bisexual experiences. People who are bisexual are often harangued for choosing to be with people of multiple genders and told to “pick a side.” Furthermore, bisexual people are harassed for choosing to be with someone of the opposite sex, because it makes it “seem like” they’re straight.

Bisexuality is also somewhat taboo, because it can be intimidating. Some lesbians say they won’t sleep with people who are bisexual because they may have been in contact with a penis. Not only is this idea transphobic because it excludes trans women, it’s also simply rude.

Those who are bisexual sometimes face another kind of prejudice: Some reuse to date those who are bisexual, worried they will be left for someone of the opposite sex.

Those who are bisexual are also stigmatized as promiscuous. Some think that since bisexual people are attracted to more than one gender, they will sleep with anyone. However, bisexual people have preferences in their attractions like anyone else.

These examples are reasons why Bisexual Visibility Day and Bisexual Visibility Week are held every year. Those who are bisexual face a lot of unwarranted prejudice in the queer community. It’s time we stop ignoring and erasing their identities.

The Olympics has a long history of LGBTQA+ discrimination and sexism. The Olympic games were first held in 1896, in Athens, Greece. Women were first permitted to compete in the 1900 Paris games, in lawn tennis and golf, but athletics and gymnastics were not added until 1928. Until this summer, transgender people were not allowed to compete in the Olympics without previously having gender reassignment surgery.

The issue of LGBTQA+ discrimination was brought up in the 2016 summer Olympics with the case of Caster Semenya. Semenya, a runner from South Africa, was born with no ovaries and internal testicles, a medical anomaly called hyperandrogenism. Because of her anomaly, people argued that it was unfair for her to compete as a woman.

My initial thought about Semenya’s case was: Who cares? If Semenya identifies as a woman, she should be able to compete as a woman in the Olympics. Then I wondered – why do we even have gendered Olympics? Yes, it is true that males and females differ biologically, and that these biological differences affect their athletic ability to some extent. However, are these differences enough to mean that it would be unfair to females if there were no separate categories for men and women?

I took the liberty of looking up the women’s and men’s 800-meter times; Caster Semenya won the women’s 800 meter race with a time of 1:55.28, while David Rudisha of Kenya won the men’s with 1:42.15. Clearly, men are faster than women, including Caster Semenya. So, is it really unfair that she was able to compete with the women? I think not.

It is appalling that Semenya’s genitalia is even up for discussion. In what situation would someone question a cisgender person’s (those who identify with their assigned sex at birth) genitalia in order for them to compete in the Olympics? It is evident from this situation that cisgender people do not experience the discrimination and adversity as those who are transgender. This is wrong – transgender and gender divergent people are human too and should be treated with the same respect as any other human.

Branching off that radical concept, on one hand people who are transgender and gender divergent should be able to compete in whichever category of Olympics they feel comfortable in. On the other hand, we should still have gendered Olympics, because otherwise it would be unfair towards women. The Olympics should still be gendered, but people who are transgender and gender divergent should be able to choose whether they compete in men’s or women’s categories. The International Olympic Committee took a step forward by establishing a new law allowing transgender people to compete without surgery. If a transgender woman who had not had gender reassignment surgery wanted to compete in a women’s category, she will be allowed to.

Along with the problems surrounding LGBTQA+ people in the Olympics, we also see sexism in today’s Olympics as well. One notable occurrence of sexism in the Olympics was in regards to Simone Biles, who won four gold and one bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. During her routine on the uneven bars, an NBC commentator stated that he thought “she might go even higher than some of the men.” Another situation occurred for Katie Ledecky, a 19-year-old swimmer who broke the world record in the 400-meter freestyle. Headlines popped up all over about how she was the “female Michael Phelps.”

Even though there is still a lot of sexism in the Olympics, the 2016 games were the openly queerest in history, with 56 “out” (open about non-heterosexuality) athletes competing. 

The Olympics have come a long way from their founding games in 1896. However, even though women and transgender people are now allowed to compete, we still have a long way to go in terms of how society treats them.