In an unconventional celebration of National Coming Out Day, the Brown Outing Club has released a list of closeted LGBTQ+ students. While this endeavor has left many members of the campus community shocked and outraged, the club unapologetically defends its actions.
“Today, we’re fulfilling our club’s prophecy by taking it upon ourselves to out the students who are too pussy to do it themselves,” said club president Cliff Walker in a BOC Instagram story addressing the incident. “If they’re not out yet, they’re living a big fat lie—so why not help them live their truth?”
The list—distributed via email, blasted on social media and posted around campus—includes first and last names as well as pictures the outing club secretly took of the students in question, also without their consent. “Everyone is hating because I’m brave enough to create an environment of openness and honesty,” Walker continued, defensively. “Isn’t Coming Out Day supposed to be about visibility?”
Reactions among students have been fierce, with many calling for the club’s immediate disbandment. “This is such a gross infringement of privacy and an attack on self-determination for queer folx,” said Homos on the Hill president Eric Gaymond. “They’re literally outing people without their consent. SAO needs to shut them down before they cause any more harm.”
Self-proclaimed “heterosexual rights activist” Grace Johnson was also critical of the club’s actions, but her reasoning came from a different angle. “Honestly, I think some people should just keep their business to themselves,” she stated, adjusting the “Straight and Proud” button on her shirt. “If they want to hide in the closet, then good! There’s no need to announce who you sleep with to the world. I mean, who wants to see all that rainbow crap?”
As National Coming Out Day unfolds, many students are left questioning the culture surrounding privacy and consent on Brown’s campus. “I always thought Coming Out Day was about love and acceptance, but apparently some people don’t uphold that,” said one anonymous student. “What’s next, a list of students who secretly have a thing for feet? Because I’ve been a closeted foot fetishist for years, and I really don’t need that getting out.”