Come one, come all. Come as you are, come as you aren’t – come and show your spirit, your pride, your support, show yourself – as much or as little of it as you like.
The Guilford College Coming Out Ball is our school’s chance to back up student clubs and organizations such as Guilford College Pride and GLBTQA (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer/Questioning Allies) by simply showing up and dancing the night away.
Where else can you walk around publicly wrapped in duct tape, saran wrap, or fishnet attires? Where else can you re-live the disco era, the 80’s, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, or just go Goth for a night? Where else can men dance to Madonna while sporting women’s underwear?
Perhaps it’s that very “anything goes” theme engulfing this event that makes it such a huge success year after year. Maybe it’s the wide variety of students who meet each other and might never get the chance otherwise. Whatever the explanation, most students who attend the Coming Out Ball never miss another one in their remaining years at Guilford.
“I really liked the atmosphere,” said first-year Zo‰ Greco. “The costumes were awesome and people really seemed to be having a good time. I’m going again next year.”
On Friday, Sept. 26, feathers and fishnets filled the upstairs of Founders Hall while students and faculty members got into the groove of things within a blizzard of glow-sticks and condoms.
New, older, and classic dance tunes permeated the room and everyone was curious about everyone else’s outfit or costume – often a reversed-gender get-up in honor of the night’s objective.
“The purpose of the Coming Out Ball,” said Sarah Everette, president of Guilford Pride, “is to raise awareness about the fact that there is a Queer Resource Center [room 114 in Dana] and Pride group on campus. When you’re at the ball, you are able to cross gender lines in a safe environment and just be yourself for four hours.”
Unfortunately, at this year’s ball, that safe environment was jeopardized. Around 11 p.m. someone tossed a firecracker through the window.
No one was hurt, but lack of personal injury does not negate the possible homophobia that was launched into the diverse mix of students who were just trying to have a good time and support a worthy cause.
Judging by the attempted pyrotechnic display, certain individuals probably disapprove of what the school’s Pride groups are doing. So what happens now? Thumbs-up or thumbs-down, Guilford? Maybe it’s a bad idea. Should we stop?
“No way,” said junior Elena Adams. “That would be totally giving into the bigotry and ignorance on campus and that is not what Guilford is about.”
And Guilford wasn’t about it on Friday night. Once the stench of the firecracker settled and the smoke cleared, condoms continued to circulate and glow-sticks continued to glow until the dance’s scheduled end – at one o’clock in the morning.