Mary Byrne
More than 20 years ago, when Fran Yuan’s son — a high school student at the time — came out as gay, there wasn’t much visibility for the LGBTQ+ community in Belmont.
“There were no rainbow flags; there was really very little discussion about the LGBT community,” she recalled. “We took him to other communities to meet people. We really had to find our own resources, and he had to find resources. … There was a [Gay Straight Alliance] at the high school, but I don’t know if other kids were out at the time.”
It was this experience that ultimately led Yuan to found the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance, an organization that aims to address issues faced by all members of the LGBTQ+ community in Belmont.
“Visibility is really important … to everyone, but particularly for young people to know they’re in an environment where people are not afraid to come out,” she said. “Not everybody chooses to do that, but there certainly was a time when it was more risky to do so.”
Yuan said that since she founded the organization in 2001, the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community has grown considerably, thanks in part to the annual Pride Parade in June and events like the one coming up in a few weeks at the Beech Street Center. The event, described as “an evening of storytelling,” will offer members of the community the chance to share their experiences with coming out.
The event is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m., the day before National Coming Out Day. No registration is required in advance.
“We tried to get a variety of people of different ages,” she said of the individuals who would be sharing their stories.
Speakers include a student, a church leader, a police officer, and a town employee.
“To know individuals in the community on a personal level, I think, is really powerful,” Yuan said. “To hear about their stories and what they’ve had to deal with in terms of coming out and how that has turned out for them, and maybe what some of the struggles have been … The journey can be very different for different people.”
Coming out is an ongoing process, she said.
“Coming out isn’t a one-time thing,” Yuan said. “You’re coming out to many people, many times; you’re coming out to yourself. For people to understand what that’s like, and if they’re struggling with the same kinds of issues — to know there are people in the community that they can relate to, I think that’s very important.”