Evanston Pride and Few Spirits will host a Storytelling Event on National Coming Out Day, which is Monday, Oct. 11, at the distillery’s tasting room.
“Coming out is a personal journey, but no one needs to feel alone as they navigate it,” Evanston Pride Board President Jackson Adams said in a news release. “I’m eager to share and hear coming out stories with other Evanstonians, and continue to bring this city’s LGBTQIA+ community closer together.”
Evanston Pride Board member Sandie Elliott is passionate about National Coming Out Day. “I am no longer concerned about the opinions of others when it comes to me and my life,” she said in the news release. “To my LGBTQIA+ community, be proud of who you are, because I am proud of you for living your truth.”
Another Board member, Rada Yovovich, agreed in the release. “I try pretty hard to be as visible in my out-ness as possible, because if me moving through the world that way makes just one person feel just a little bit more safe being authentic, then I’ve done something good.”
The event is open to all, although space is limited at the Few Spirits tasting room, 918 Chicago Ave., so registration is required to help manage capacity. The first hour of the event will be dedicated to family-friendly stories. Later hours will include stories that might be PG-13 and beyond. Few Spirits will provide a cash bar with beverages for guests of all ages.
Education session on gender, orientation
Evanston Pride is also sponsoring “IN-QUEERY: The Gender and Orientation Spectrums,” a virtual educational session on Zoom from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 21.
The session will go beyond the binary to include the full spectrums of gender and orientation diversity. Participants will learn about the origin of Pride, LGBTQIA+ identities, how to be an ally to LGBTQIA+ community members and how to create a more inclusive culture for everyone across the spectrums. This session will be facilitated by Rada Yovovich, one of Evanston Pride’s founding board members and a co-founder of consulting firm The Darkest Horse.
“This session helped me immensely in my work to be an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community,” Katherine Gotsick, an Evanston Pride Board member who identifies as straight and cisgender, said in the group’s news release. “I’ve done it twice now and it’s been transformational for me.”
Anyone interested may register here.
Source: Evanston Pride