Senior Kevin Ferenchak left home at 17 and never looked back. "I found my own family," he said, describing his time after leaving what he termed an " untenable living environment" at home. Ferenchak's reason? He came out as gay.
Ferenchak was one of three Loyola students to speak at "I am LGBTQA and … ," a panel held for LGBTQA Awareness Month.
LGBTQA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allied.
The panel discussion centered on how the identities (both sexual and otherwise) of the panelists intersect and reconcile.
Nearly every panelist represented a different letter in the LGBTQA acronym in an attempt to present as complete a view of the gay community as possible.
The panelists began with their own coming out stories.
Sharon Chia Claros, the program coordinator of Diversity and Social Justice Education Initiatives for the Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs for example, has also faced homophobia from her own family. She has come out to her father three times, each unsuccessfully. Chia Claros identifies herself as queer, which she defines as "fluid - I fall in love with the person, not their sexuality."
Another Loyola faculty member, Chris Skrable, talked about the "clashing of identities" that arose as a result of his Catholic faith and his status as a gay man. Skrable served as a Jesuit priest before leaving the order after three years.
"The sense of integrity is worth it," Skrable said about his coming out process.
Although the panel unanimously agreed that Loyola offers a tolerant environment for LGBTQA students, with one panelist saying that "people at Loyola really look at the whole person," Skrable still voiced reservations when it comes to reconciling Catholic teaching with the realities of being gay.
Not every panelist felt the need to come out in one category or the other, however. "In high school you were either a femme or a stud," said Emily Alvelo, a grad student who identifies as bisexual. "So I came up with my own word: stem." Alvelo also spoke of herself as a Latina woman.
Of all the panelists, junior Matt Edwards had a perspective different from others in the discussion. A transman, Edwards spoke of having to go through menopause after taking hormones to complete the crossover. "Any official paperwork, it gets really confusing," he said, explaining the many ways in which he has to explain himself to others. "On the plus side," he added, "I'm cooler than all of you."
For Student Activities Coordinator Melinda McIntire, the ally of the group, the challenge has proven more internal than external. "How can I open up as an ally?" McIntire said, adding that knowing how people will react to her activism has proven the greatest struggle.
The existence of such a panel at a Jesuit University does perhaps place such a struggle in context, however. As Skrabel mentioned, such an event would have seemed unthinkable "even 10 years ago." Although the political climate has changed for the better, he said, "There is still plenty of course for activism."
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