In 1994, an electrical engineering student at UCLA published the first OUTList, a two-page spread in the school’s daily newspaper that listed the names of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, faculty, and staff. The idea caught on, and campuses around the country now publish OUTLists, generally coinciding with National Coming Out Day (October 11).
This year, Johns Hopkins joins the trend. The school’s OUTList, scheduled for online publishing on October 11, “was created to increase the visibility of the LGBT community at Johns Hopkins and to serve as a source of mentors and informal networking for members of the Johns Hopkins LGBT community” and also “to serve as a tool for recruiting and retaining the most talented people, to foster a culture in which everyone feels that their contributions are valued, and as another example of the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
And while they’re a few decades behind, all is forgiven because they’re hosting a reception! Details here.
