OUtlet members and Petey the Petrel march in the Atlanta Pride Parade last October.

OUTlet is a student-led campus organization with a visible and accessible network of support for those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex. OUTlet helps to create an ongoing educational experience between its members and the larger Oglethorpe community by actively exploring cultural identities, values, and stereotypes.

Throughout the year, OUTlet provides training through its Safe OUTlet program to encourage students, faculty, and staff to become “safe outlets” for LGBTQ individuals on campus. Volunteers who complete this training are given stickers signifying that they are a safe outlet to all. This recognizable and now ubiquitous symbol has helped the group to promote their message and create a more inclusive and tolerant environment.

The fusion of “gender” and “generation” echoes the new wave of youth who are challenging gender stereotypes, social constructs, and gender roles–hence a new generation of gender-bending youth

OUTlet also plans events to encourage participation in the organization. This semester, events include panel discussions about problems facing the LGBTQ community today, screenings of the student/alumni produced documentary “Genderalia,” and an art showcase “Gender, Body, and Society” by the Genderalia Project. (Check The Source for details!)

Last fall, OUTlet members and Oglethorpe mascot Petey the Petrel (worn by Joseph Edward Johnson ’17) marched in Atlanta’s Pride Parade. In March, the group hosted its hallmark event, an annual Drag Show, which in 2015 benefited Real Youth Atlanta, a local nonprofit founded by three Oglethorpe alumni: Brit Prince ’11, Mark DeLong ’03, and Kelly Napier ’04.