Student Comes Out as Ally, Campus Rejoices
October 11th was National Coming Out Day, a day for LGBTQ people across the globe to celebrate their identities and disclose them to friends and family, if desired.
At approximately 5:47 PM, sophomore Joshua Hubbard posted a Facebook status that stated: “Pls come to deg patio. Have sumthin important 2 say,” and a group of his 32 closest friends rapidly emerged on the Susquehanna campus. Hubbard, visibly nervous, did not say anything to the questioning group until 6:00, when he stood up from his seat and, in sync with Weber’s bells, yelled, “I AM AN ALLY!”
The group quickly fell silent. Hubbard swallowed hard and looked across Degenstein Lawn. A cluster of passersby were the first to break the silence, clapping and cheering for him. His friends followed suit, making a big hooplah.
“I never thought you were the type!” someone exclaimed.
“Psh. I always knew you were an ally,” bragged another.
“How long have you known?”
“You’re not going to start preaching gay rights to me now, are you?”
“Will you be my allied best friend?”
“Who did this to you?”
“Are you still gonna catch the game with us on Sunday?”
Hubbard, clearly overwhelmed, waited for the hubbub to quiet down before responding. “Look,” he said. “I spent a lot of time thinking about this. I first suspected I was an ally back in middle school, when I first heard about gay people. I thought, ‘You know, I’m totally straight!’ and that was that. A year later, though, I thought again. ‘Wow, these gay people are kinda okay in my book.’”
His friends were in awe. “That’s so brave…” one murmured. Hubbard shrugged.
“I was born this way.”
At press time, echoes of congratulations could still be heard across campus in classrooms, dorms, and eateries. Hubbard has become a campus celebrity of the highest tier. In a passing comment, he stated that he has no intentions of joining the Gender & Sexuality Alliance, attending campus LGBTQ events, or watching Brokeback Mountain.
In related news, transgender student Hishana Reed also came out on October 11th, via a Facebook post. Changing her name on her social media accounts received a total of 3 “likes.” Reed reports no recognition of her transgender identity from peers, professors, or family members.
