Portions of this article contributed by Jamie Dalgleish '13

This year's Upper School National Coming Out Day Assembly was held on National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11. Organized by the School's student club, the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), the thought-provoking and sometimes poignant assembly featured a very special panel of several gay, bisexual and straight alumni. Along with Alumni Director Maria Sanchez Gardner '78 and Dean of Students Alan Brown, GSA co-advisers and D-E faculty members Tara Weinstein and Danny Carragher invited the six alumni to speak in a panel about their experiences, both while at D-E and since their graduation, in dealing with coming out and other LGBT issues. The alumni panelists included the following:

• Actress, film producer and director Beatrice Alda '79, whose award-winning feature documentary, Out Late, was co-produced and co-directed by Jennifer Brooke, Alda's partner in film and in life, and released by First Run Features. Out Late tells the story of five individuals who came out as gay, lesbian, or transgender as senior citizens.
• Alexis Charnee '91, a bisexual independent business development, marketing, and fundraising consultant at Twin Beeches Consulting
• Actor Joe Langer '84, who has been married to his partner for 16 years and flew in from Los Angeles just to speak at the assembly
• International theater and film producer Paul Lucas '79, who shared his disturbingly honest but advice-oriented words about being bullied because he's gay
• GSA founding member Margaux Rogers '05, a straight and "very vocal" advocate for LGBT individuals and who (while at D-E) did her Senior Focus on homosexuality
• Brooklyn-based gay artist Michael Viola '97

The assembly was personal but informative, encouraging, and eye-opening.  In the words of Jamie Dalgleish '13:
"It was helpful for people not aware of LGBT issues or happenings to get first-person stories from the process to what it’s like to come out. Most people aren’t aware that coming out is not a one-time official thing, but is almost continual in nature. Members of the LGBT community come out (if they choose to) to parents, friends, colleagues, and others at different times. Another common assumption is that parents are the first to know from the individual, but often one comes out to a close friend or two at a time, and it can take awhile to tell one’s parents. In fact, some people don’t even figure out their sexual orientation until they have been married and had kids; in this case, both people in the couple sometimes are questioning their own sexuality. Each panelist had ample answers to the questions submitted anonymously by the Upper School student body, and it was great how receptive and accepting the student body was of their sentiments."

The assembly then ended memorably with a group of faculty members, Upper School students,  and D-E Dance Crew leader/ choreographer Vicky Frankel, offering a rousing dance performance to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" .