This past Tuesday, Binghamton University’s Q Center collaborated with the Multicultural Resource Center to host the very first event of this year’s OUTober celebrations.

Marking the beginning of LGBTQ+ History Month, the OUTober Kickoff event featured a panel discussion and an array of food. The panelists — from a variety of diverse backgrounds — included faculty, staff and students from BU’s queer community who are frequent collaborators with the Q Center. They discussed their personal experiences, LGBTQ+ individuals from the past and the effects of queer erasure throughout history.

Panelists also spoke about the boom in LGBTQ+ individuals in today’s society and how many people think of it as a “social contagion.” They went on to discuss how queer individuals have been around since the beginning of time and emphasized the importance of spreading awareness and educating people about the historical influence of the LGBTQ+ community.

Brenda Feinen, assistant to the dean at Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was one of the panelists at the event. She is an active member of Binghamton’s LGBTQ+ community, which includes the faculty and staff pride group. Feinen has donated several books to the Q Center to provide more access to queer literature and recently spoke at another panel in September about bisexual awareness.

At the Kickoff, Feinen discussed her own experiences and highlighted those of other speakers.

“I love hearing about other peoples’ experiences because I only know about myself,” Feinein said. “And as amazing as I am, it’s nice to learn about other people … talking about what it was like in the 70s and the 80s where there were no resources. Everything was very well behind closed doors — nobody talked about anything.”

Sarah Shain, a junior majoring in accounting, believes that it is crucial to have an LGBTQ+ History Month in addition to Pride Month in June. This stems from the removal of these individuals in history and the need for accurate historical accounts.

“I think a lot of people don’t really know that much about gay people,” Shain said. “For so long, you were shunned and supposed to be ashamed — and even now a lot of people are still ashamed of who they are — so I think it’s really important for people to learn the history about the gay movement. ”

Shain also talked about the importance of people educating themselves about LGBTQ+ people by taking the necessary time to understand their history and what they are going through today. She discussed how many people don’t know about the LGBTQ+ community and emphasized the importance of being mindful regarding marginalized groups.

Shain continued by mentioning the “Campus Preacher” who recently came to the University.

“A lot of this stems from ignorance,” Shain said. “When you just read religious texts and come up with a certain [idea], but you never actually talk to someone who is gay and experiencing same sex attraction or being transgender … you don’t know enough to tell everyone that it’s a sin or spread your hateful ideology. I just think it’s really important to have a month where you know the history, so you know enough about it that you can be supportive and help people feel more safe on campus.”

As OUTober continues, there will be plenty of other celebrations hosted by the Q Center and SHADES — BU’s LGBTQ+ organization for students of color — coming in the next few weeks.

Nicholas Martin, assistant director of the Q Center, discussed what the organization is looking forward to hosting next.

“In addition to the Kickoff, we’re also very excited about our National Coming Out Day Pride March on Wednesday, Oct. 11, our Asexual (Ace) Awareness Week tabling on Monday, Oct. 23 and a screening of ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ with Late Nite on Friday, Oct. 27,” Martin wrote in an email. “These are in addition to our regular events occurring in the Q Center, including our Queer-ies series focusing on coming out, our Fashion with Flavor Fridays events featuring our Gender Bender Clothing Closet and a Queer Wikidata Edit-a-Thon with the libraries.”

Due to the work of those at the Q Center, there are a variety of opportunities to get involved with Binghamton’s queer community this month that will provide both information and a space to meet like-minded individuals.

Feinen reflected on the many changes in society that make these events possible for young LGBTQ+ people today.

“I really enjoy hearing about younger generations talking about what it has been like for them,” Feinen said. “It excites me that there’s a better opportunity out there, and maybe we are getting better, because wouldn’t that be lovely.”