Panama City's Out in the South event looks to uplift LGBTQ+ community, spread education

PANAMA CITY — Florida State University Panama City will host Out in the South, a diversity, equity and inclusion forum, to educate and affirm the experiences of the LGBTQ+ and minority communities.

The third annual event is set for 1-4 p.m. Saturday in the St. Joe Community Foundation Lecture Hall at the Holley Academic Center at FSU Panama City, 4750 Collegiate Drive. Check-in begins at noon. Admission to is free and attendees are encouraged to register on the Eventbrite website.

Out in the South will include guest speakers, panel discussions and giveaways, including $100 in gift cards. The event is annually held during October to coincide with LGBTQ+ History Month.

'Our safe space': LGBTQ community returns to historic Bay County site lost to hurricane

Raemi Creteur, marketing intern at FSU Panama City, said past events had been held virtually due to Hurricane Michael and the pandemic. She hopes this year's forum creates an engaging environment.

"We're really excited about it, and it's critical that we're relaunching it as an in-person event this year because it's been really difficult to start that conversation virtually," she said. "I'm hopeful that by our fifth year, this will be solidified in our community and people will be looking forward to it in the future."

Out in the South: How is speaking and about what

Out in the South will feature presentations from FSU faculty members, local students from FSU Panama City and Gulf Coast State College and guests speakers from the Gulf Coast LGBTQ+ Center, Inc. to share their experiences with diversity, equity and inclusion.

Keynote speaker Nadine Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Equality Florida, the state's largest organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Earlier this year, Smith was named to the 2022 TIME100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Nadine Smith: TIME honors Panama City native as one of world's 100 most influential people of 2022

Some of the topics include the Rev. Rian Adams on "Religious Freedoms and What it Means for Equality," Dr. Jonathan Applebaum, professor at FSU in Tallahassee, on "LGBTQ+ Health and Wellbeing," Dr. Irvin Clark, associate dean at FSU Panama City, on supporting diversity and inclusion year round and Robert Cvornyek, FSU Panama City interdisciplinary social science professor, on tactics for organizing a call to action.

"Historically, college campuses have played a critical role in enacting social change," Cvornyek said. "I will let people know how they can channel their efforts in local organizations."

FSU Panama City aims to bring together a diverse population of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to celebrate unique cultures and build a supportive community for everyone.

"This most important message is that diversity, equity and inclusion benefit everybody, so we're not just looking to uplift minority groups, we want to start that conversation for everyone," Creteur added. "If we could get people to understand the importance of those key factors, then they can understand how impactful that could be in everyone's lives."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Out in the South 2022: Forum has guest speakers, panels