Testimonial #1 - Being "Out" at ASU

My name is Krystal Correa. I am twenty-two years old and I graduate in May. My majors are in Film/Media Production and LGBTQ Studies. For the past five years, I have been “out” on campus.

I went to high school in a small town twenty minutes south of Tucson called Sahuarita. My graduating class had less than two hundred kids in it, and most of them had known each other since elementary school. It was also a very Mormon-based school. With all these things in mind (my family had moved from California when I was thirteen), when I realized I “wasn’t straight” at around sixteen, I kept it to myself. There were no “out” people at my school. None. At all. There were people we suspected. I don’t think I was ever one of them.

When I came to ASU, it was a very different atmosphere than the one now. If anything, I had to say it was probably even less friendly, although some awesome strides were being made to foster inclusiveness and diversity. As soon as my parents left after moving me in, I headed over to the LGBTQ Welcome Reception to see how one exactly was “out” on a college campus.

That Fall Welcome was very small, with around thirty bodies eventually filling the space. I was lucky in that I lived on campus and made friends with a girl who would be my best friend for the next two years. Overall, it was a very unique experience. I met a sister from Gamma Rho Lambda, a sister who would eventually become my sister when I rushed a few weeks later. And after that, the envelope was sealed. I was “out”.

Over the past five years, I have seen so many great changes at ASU. I have seen the LGBTQ Coalition go from no people to dozens. I have met fantastic queer-friendly teachers, professors and students. As a sister in my sorority, I get to work with people from other sororities and fraternities and shatter their perceptions daily. I have been able to witness just important having a LGBTQ Specialist on campus truly is and the difference that it makes.

There are still so many steps that need to be taken. At the end of the month, our awesome Specialist is leaving. Our student voice needs to be heard; this is a position that NEEDS to be filled and is NECESSARY to creating a campus climate that is diverse and open.

My experiences of being out on campus have been amazing. I can count on one hand the amount of times I have felt threatened on this campus (I realize this should be zero, but in hindsight I don’t think it’s a very bad number). I have been able to meet and serve amazing students. This experience – my experience – should be every student’s experience.

-Krystal