The panel featured four successful professionals who shared their experiences of "coming out" to their friends, families and especially their co-workers

and supervisors.,”More than 60 students and staff gathered for Wednesday's POWER Lunch, which focused on the impact sexual orientation may have on a person's career.

The panel featured four successful professionals who shared their experiences of "coming out" to their friends, families and especially their co-workers and supervisors.

Carolyn Bell, one of the panelists and assistant director of residence life at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said discussions like this "are extremely important."

"We didn't have panels like this when we were in school, and that was only 10 years ago," Bell said. "I think this will help people realize that we're more than just the label of 'homosexual.' We're true professionals, and we have careers and families."

Topics covered by the panel included domestic partner employee benefits, as well as discrimination faced by gays and lesbians in the workplace.

Kevin Perrine, another panelist and an employee of Direct Supply, said as a homosexual in the workplace, it is important to find people who will act as "allies."

"There may be people who don't believe what you believe, but they can still have a sense of social injustice," Perrine said, noting the difference between an ally in the workforce and a friend.

Perrine also noted that Wisconsin State law currently prohibits discrimination against sexual orientation, but this prohibition is not yet a federal law. While Wisconsin was the first state to add sexual orientation to the discrimination clause, he said that just because the law is in place doesn't mean this type of discrimination doesn't exist.

According to Laura Kestner, director of the Career Services Center, Wednesday's panel was probably the boldest POWER Lunch Career Services has ever organized. The program, collaborative effort between the Career Services Center and the Office of Student Development's Intercultural Programs, is in its second year.

Kestner said last year's panels included more "traditional" panels, such as black and women professionals.

"But we definitely decided to mix it up a little this year," Kestner said. According to Kestner, "mixing it up" includes bringing in panelists from less commonly represented groups, such as professionals from bi-racial and homosexual communities.

"You can imagine that this could be quite controversial, as some might think it isn't consistent with (Marquette's) mission," Kestner said, adding that she had to receive special permission from Provost Madeline Wake in order to present the program.

Since this year's POWER Lunch series includes issues that are not commonly talked about on Marquette's campus, Kestner said organizers are having difficulty obtaining sponsors for luncheons.

"Not many corporations want to put their name on these types of programs," Kestner said.

Last year's sponsors included corporations such as Target.

"But I am really very passionate about this program," Kestner said. "We really want to promote diversity in our office so that when a student comes with any sort of issue, we are able to help them to the best of our ability."

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