Q. Are there examples of the language one can use in newspaper ads (on National Coming Out Day, perhaps) supporting "LGBT rights," "full LGBT inclusion,"etc., accompanied by the hundreds of names of people on your campus that support the statement? What are ways to get the funds to run these sorts of ads?

A. The National Coming Out Day OUTList

The OUTList is a full page add of names of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students, faculty, and staff in campus newspapers every National Coming Out Day - October 11th. The ad generally makes a positive statement about being LGBT and invites the entire campus community to celebrate with us.

History:

The OUTList was the brainchild of UCLA Electrical Engineering student Phil Duncan in 1994. There were over 300 names on a two-page spread in the UCLA Daily Bruin that year. Pat Walsh at UC Irvine and I then at the University of Michigan took the idea to our campuses in 1995. Since then other institutions have taken up the practice and campuses around the country are now posting OUTLists in their campus newspapers on National Coming Out Day.

Wording:

The language on the 1999 UCLA OUTList includes allies as well as LGBT people. The wording is:

"We are your friends, classmates, teammates, roommates, professors, colleagues, coworkers, alumni/ae and family, and we are OUT and PROUD. We are just a few of the strong and creative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, or allies of LGBT individuals, who contribute to the diversity and success of the UCLA community. We invite you to join us in celebrating the 11th Annual National Coming Out Day on October 11, 1999."

Following this statement will appear hundreds of names of LGBT or ally students, faculty, staff, and alumni and their UCLA affiliation.

Solicitation for participants:

Since UCLA is on the quarter system with Fall quarter beginning the first of October, the invitation to participate on the OUTList is extended before the third quarter is over in June. Through a large email listserv, fliers at events such as dances, Lavender Graduation, summer orientation information fairs, and fall information fairs, names are obtained both via email and on hard copy. Each submission is followed up with a phone call to be ensure the accuracy and permission of the information.

Paying for the ad:

Ads in students papers are not usually inexpensive. At UCLA the cost of a full page ad in the Daily Bruin is over $700. Non-students such as faculty, staff, and alumni/ae are asked to make a $5 donation to help offset the costs. Students do not need to pay. The LGBT Campus Resource Center absorbs the remaining costs associated with the ad. However, on many campuses, there may be other routes available for paying for such an ad.

After OUTList appears:

On October 12th, the day following the appearance of the OUTList, take the page on which the OUTList Appears and have it laminated. Hang it up in your office, use it to advertise your Center, use it as part of your program's public relations and information fairs displays. Be sure to save it as an historical document for your campus.

Submitted by Ronni Sanlo. Dr. Sanlo may be reached at sanlo@ucla.edu.

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