The LGBTQ+ Pride Center will host The Coming Out Monologues on Friday, Mar. 31, 2023 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. This year, the event will take place in Rudder Theater, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and monologues beginning at 7 p.m. The event will also be broadcasted live through Zoom to accommodate audience members who prefer to attend the event virtually.  

The Coming Out Monologues is an annual story-telling performance made up of current and former students, faculty, staff, and community members who identify as LGBTQ+ or allies of that community.

This storytelling event features a unique collection and representation of experiences and coming out stories authored and performed by people in our community who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community or as straight or cisgender allies. It is a raw, inspiring, transformative, and intimate live event.

These stories include unique backgrounds and perspectives as well as periods of time—from people who came out this year to yesteryear. These stories run the gamut — humorous, poignant, serious, heartbreaking, embarrassing, creative, painful and hopeful.

Anyone can submit a piece, either to perform themselves or have performed by someone else. A "monologue" can be many different things; past participants have presented prose, poetry, visual art, and performance art of many different types.

Coming out can also be considered somewhat broadly: past speakers have shared stories about specific coming out experiences, the idea of coming out, coming out to themselves, coming out as an ally, transitioning, gender expression, and emotions related to coming out, among others!

The diversity of our speakers' experiences and backgrounds are what make this such an authentic and powerful evening, so you do not have to be an experienced speaker or performer to participate. We provide coaching and guidance in a non-judgmental and safe environment, and the directors can help anyone hone their writing and performance. Also: participating requires no memorization!

Submissions will be accepted until Monday, Feb. 20, 2023 at 5 p.m., and we ask that you submit a full draft of your piece. It doesn't have to be perfect; we just need it to be more than an outline. We'll help you refine it!  

Want to submit a monologue but not sure where to start? Download Five Tips for Writing a Monologue.

Students can earn MaroonBase points for attending this event! Use the MaroonBase App to check-in to earn 200 points for this event, then use your points to enter to win up to $2,000. Each 200 points enters you in the monthly drawing where 3 students win $500 each! Prizes are funded by a donation from a former student. To get started, just download the MaroonBase app from the iOs or GooglePlay store, create your account, and check in up to 15 minutes before the event begins. For a complete list of prizes, rules, FAQ’s, and how to redeem your points for prizes, please visit the MaroonBase Student App page.