Ousted cadet to speak today at rally
By Patrick Marantal
Daily Bruin Contributor
Huong Nguyen, a ROTC cadet UCLA on leave after coming out as a bisexual, will speak today at noon in Perloff Quad.
Nguyen will talk about her experiences and answer questions regarding her recent decision to come out to her superior officers and regarding the military's ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals.
She will be introduced by her partner, Ali Beck, the editor in chief of TenPercent, UCLA's gay, lesbian and bisexual newsmagazine. Both Beck and David Mixner, a gay right's lobbyist and organizer of today's rally, will field questions at Nguyen's request.
"I hope to gather the community, not just in the gay sense, but also in the environment," said Nguyen, a fourth-year philosophy student. "By doing that, I hope to show people that they don't have to be afraid of coming out and supporting something gay. We can make people aware that decision effects people on campus and the students."
Organizers said they expect a "fair" turnout, both of press and members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community. They also hoped that members of the greater UCLA community will come and show their support for Nguyen.
"I think it's time for people on this campus to stand up and live up to their commitment to diversity," Beck said.Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu