Outloud is a brand new magazine dedicated to the LGBTQ community at George Mason University. I got the opportunity to learn a little more about the magazine through an interview with Editor-In-Chief Quincey Smith.

Interview Begins.

CP: What was your intention for doing Outloud?

QS: I wanted to bring issues of the LGBTQ community to the forefront of the GMU community. I knew that creating a “visually-appealing” product would attract a broad range of readers who would be exposed to topics and issues that they probably had never known about. By reading and learning new information, people will hopefully start talking and engaging in discussion and that is when education truly occurs.

CP: Awesome! What did you hope to accomplish by creating a new publication Outloud?

QS: Pretty much same as above. I wanted people to learn and listen and in doing so start talking with others. Being aware of the LGBTQ community and the discrimination and specific issues relating to the community is really important, and a magazine is a great medium to start this process.

CP: Right on. What did you learn from your experience with Outloud?

QS: Obviously I learned how to create and publish a magazine, which was HUGE. I also was exposed to the struggle within our community. Too often we attempt to tear each other down and criticize the work of others for one reason or another, but in the end, it is important to realize that we all are working toward the same goal – equality and respect. We may use different tactics and we may come from different backgrounds, but that is okay. We need to respect the work of each other and be brothers and sisters of empowerment at all times. It takes a lot of work to publish a magazine and it would have been great to have felt the support from others in the LGBTQ community at Mason from the beginning instead of at the end, but that is okay.

CP: That great that you felt support for the publication of the magazine. How do you think Outloud will impact the GMU community?

QS: I do think that people will start talking more about these issues. We got to expose our audience to a broad range of topics and there is so much more out there. I think we opened people’s eyes to the fact that the LGBTQ community at Mason is so much more than what they see. We have unique struggles that many in the world never experience or understand and Outloud Magazine surfaced those stories.

CP: And, what do you hope other colleges and universities will take from Outloud?
QS: I hope it encourages them to support a similar publication on their campus. Each campus has a different community and a different culture. I am sure somebody doing a similar magazine would produce completely different material and that is exciting!

CP: Excellent! Do you have tips to students at other campuses interested in starting their own LGBTQ publication?

QS: First of all, it is important that students feel supported throughout the process both financially and academically. This is a huge undertaking and it is important that the administration serves an ally role from the beginning. Secondly, I think it is important to make as many voices as possible heard. In addition to incorporating the LGBTQ services already provided, it is important to remember that a significant amount of LGBTQ individuals don’t use these services but still might be interested in contributing.

CP: Thank you for your advice. Finally, a Campus Pride tradition, how do you define pride?

QS: Knowing who you are, knowing what you are not, and ruthlessly working at living an honest life 24/7.

Outloud is a publication of the Office of Student Media at George Mason University and can be viewed in its entirety online at: http://outloudmagazine.onmason.com/