By Karina Santiago

In honor of National Coming Out Day, The Office of Diversity Services and The Rainbow Alliance hosted a poetry workshop as well as a performance by Lauren Zuniga, one of the top five ranked female poets in the world. On Thursday, the celebration of LGBTQ History Month continued in a dimly lighted, secluded section of the Donahue Café with lots of laughter, tears, finger snapping, and pizza.

The crowd included students from Harvard University, Suffolk, Northeastern University, and Boston University and the intimate gathering covered several topics such as feminism, identity, race, abortion, and gay marriage.

“Confessions of an Uneducated Queer,” “Submissive,” and “To the Oklahoma Lawmakers,” were a few of the compelling poems Zuniga performed. She was at ease with the students, cracking jokes and even sharing new poems straight from her iPhone’s notepad, going over the allotted time for her performance. Laughs quickly turned into gasps at Zuniga’s words, as she paused to take a breath, holding back tears. In a span of two hours, her distinctive style and imagery had all of the audience members on the edge of their seats.

“She was completely captivating,” said Denisha Storie, a Suffolk University sophomore. “I was hanging on to every word and I felt like I could really relate.”

Before her performance, Zuniga directed an exploratory poetry workshop, limited to 20 students. Focusing on Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s book, “Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity,” Zuniga created a comfortable atmosphere for participants to share their thoughts on mixed identities and mixed consciousness within communities. She believes that through her poetry and vulnerability, she allows others to be vulnerable with her.

“We talked about our personal identities, how we’re viewed by other people in the world and how our visions are shaped by the things we encounter,” she said.

Among the workshop’s participants was a student from Harvard University who had written to Zuniga many years ago asking for guidance. He gave Zuniga a printed copy of her lengthy response and she thanked him publicly saying, “It blows my mind that I’m able to connect this way with people I’ve never met.”

Zuniga urged young adults struggling with their identities to engage in their community to find a support system.

“It’s important to own your identity, but it’s crucial to find people that you can talk with honesty, people that can understand you, so you feel safe and comfortable,” she said.

Zuiga went on to explain that identities are malleable and impacted on a daily basis by things people experience, but the process of adjustment is natural. “Your identity is like a wardrobe,” she said. “It should be fun to play with. Don’t be afraid to change it up.”

The President of the Rainbow Alliance, Amy Kerr, invites the Suffolk community to their upcoming events that include Spirit Day, Food For Thought, and the annual Drag Show.