From poetry and prose to artwork, a new literary magazine aims to provide the Penn State community with a glimpse of what it really means to be a part of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture.
Out & About OUT is a new project organized by Undertones, which provides LGBT individuals a safe place to discuss issues they encounter on a day-to-day basis.
The magazine, set to publish its first issue in March 2010, will contain fiction and non-fiction stories, poems and artwork concerning the emotions those in the LGBT community felt when they came out.
Although the group is still in the beginning stages of creating the magazine, its members hope Out & About OUT will be a creative outlet for the LGBT community, Undertones President Lianna Newman (senior-media studies) said. She also hopes the magazine will help the organization reach out to students at Commonwealth Campuses.
"We want to send out the magazine to the other Penn State campuses, especially those that don't have an LGBT club," Newman said.
Treasurer Christine Toh (junior-mechanical engineering) said Out & About OUT will be a "creative way of talking to the Penn State community."
She wants Penn Staters who are not part of the LGBT community to know that LGBT individuals express themselves like everyone else.
"Literature is expression of feeling and emotion," she said. "It's a very human thing."
Others said they hope the project will engender a sense of togetherness.
"I think it's a great idea, and I hope it's another step towards a unified community," Undertones member Ashante Kirby (graduate-law) said.
Kirby, who is a writer, plans on submitting a piece of work for the magazine.
Undertones secretary Jess Luckey (senior-film and sociology) described the magazine as a beautiful thing.
"People are looking for an outlet," she said. "This is an opportunity to share with everyone."
