September 29, 1998
KALAMAZOO--Local activities taking place on the Western Michigan University campus in celebration of this year's National Coming Out Day will include a movie and comedy performance on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The film "High Art" will be shown at 7 p.m. and comedian and actor Jason Stuart will perform from 9:30 to 11 p.m. Both activities will be in Room 3512 Knauss Hall. The doors open at 6 p.m. to give those attending time to browse resource tables set up for the celebration by several participating organizations.
Stuart will headline the evening entertainment. He has appeared on Comedy Central's "Out There in Hollywood" special as well as at comedy venues around the country. His acting credits include appearances in two feature films, "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation" and "Kindergarten Cop," and in episodes of three television shows, "Murder She Wrote," "The John Larroquette Show" and "Murder One."
The recently released film "High Art" stars Ally Sheedy and was written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko. A Sundance Film Festival award winner, this R-rated movie examines the pitfalls of early success, raging ambition and seduction among New York's Bohemian art set.
Both activities are being sponsored by WMU's Student Budget Allocation Committee, Campus Activities Board; Office of Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Issues; and Division of Student Affairs in conjunction with Outspoken, a WMU student organization; Delta Lambda Phi; the Kalamazoo Gay/Lesbian Resource Center; Pandora's Books for Open Minds; Triangle World; the Kalamazoo chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; Friends Southwest; and Community Spirit.
National Coming Out Day is officially celebrated every year on Oct. 11 as a day when gay, lesbian and bisexual persons are encouraged to take the next step in their individual coming out process. The date commemorates the first national gay and lesbian equality march, which took place in Washington, D.C., in 1987.
Tickets for the Oct. 10 activities at WMU are $5 for students and $10 for non-students. They are available in advance at Pandora's, 226 W. Lovell St., Kalamazoo; Triangle World, 551 Portage St., Kalamazoo; and the Office of Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Issues, A-327 Ellsworth Hall, WMU.
For more information, contact Kerry Poynter, WMU's adviser for lesbian, bisexual and gay issues, at (616) 387-2123 or e-mail the adviser's office at <stlf_lbgoffc@wmich.edu>.
Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
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616 387-8400
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