therealljidol | Green Room - Week 39

I learned about something this weekend, which means it was a success.

Because any time you can come out of something knowing more than you walked in with is a good thing.

Of course, it's less of "Here is this knowledge" and more "I now have more questions". Which, hey, that can be a success as well.

Rather than "checking the internet", I figured that I would start by asking here - because there are a lot of folks here. (Not sure how many are actually, you know, reading and participating in Green Rooms, but I know a lot are at least scanning)

We volunteered with Equality Florida at the Florida Collegiate Pride Coalition Conference 2015.

In theory, this would have involved a lot of signature gathering. But we were the last shift, so everyone attending had already signed. So, instead, it involved going to the panels! There were a lot of good ones, I wish we had the time to attend more.

Old(er) white heterosexual cisgender male hanging out at a conference, listening to people tell their stories. It was pretty awesome - and I have to say that I felt extremely welcome in a way that I know they wouldn't feel in a room of people who fit my own basic profile. (Which, of course, is bullshit. They *should* be welcomed there as much as anyone else. But that's a different tangent)

The thing that I learned, was that there is a huge controversy (to the point that one of the participants in the group got *really* uncomfortable and tried to change the subject when someone asked about it saying that he had "seen it tear a room apart") about Allies using the term "coming out" when it comes to telling people about their support for the community.

Would have never crossed my mind to use it. But apparently there are people quite vocal on both sides of the issue.

So - what about YOU? Is this "coming out"? Or should people be using another term?

***

Of course, the only *real* transition here is this one - where I ask you who are YOU "coming out" to support in this week's poll: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/842453.html

It is TIGHT this week.

Any of the remaining contestants want to advocate for themselves?

Heck - any of them want to say why people *shouldn't* vote for you? :) ("I can't take anymore!!!")