Josh Deese took his father’s pistol and held it to his head.

It had all gotten to be too much: being called a “faggot” by his high school classmates, being tripped in the hallways, being jumped after school by guys who threw both punches and insults.

With tears pouring down his face, he pulled the trigger.

But the firing pin didn’t properly strike the bullet, meaning Deese was able to share his story at the Queer Open Mic event yesterday, about four years after his attempted suicide.

“I put the gun away and started thinking that there has to be another way to solve this,” said Deese, a sophomore government and politics major. “I shared my story at the Queer Open Mic because I know there are a lot of LGBTQ youth who feel suicidal, and I want them to know that things do get better.”

The event took place in Stamp Student Union’s North Atrium — the area immediately outside the Maryland Food Co-op. Students eating lunch on the food-court level directly above often peeked over the railing to see the faces of the people whose stories echoed throughout the area.

“The beauty of having it in Stamp is that it’s right in the middle of campus where a lot of people can hear it without specifically coming to the event,” said Sree Sinha, a junior psychology major who presided over the event.

The open mic was held in celebration of National Coming Out Day, which was Friday.

“In the true spirit of an open mic, everyone was welcome,” said Fiona Jardine, a graduate student in library science and one of the event coordinators. “These stories about gender identity are so powerful to hear, even if you aren’t part of the LGBTQ community. If some students aren’t in a place where they feel comfortable sharing their story, I hope they gain strength from hearing others speak.”

Deese said the best part of speaking about his experience — both through the open mic and his work with the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focusing on suicide prevention in the LGBTQ community — was the knowledge that his words can make a difference.

“When someone comes up to me and says, ‘Thank you. You saved my life’ — that’s truly rewarding,” he said.

Deese, who is originally from southern Florida, said the LGBTQ community at this university is the complete opposite of what he experienced in middle and high school. There, getting slammed into lockers was a daily norm. Here, he can take part in events like an open mic session.

“I feel so safe,” Deese said. “The LGBTQ community here is fantastic. I’m in an environment where I can truly be accepted and appreciated for who I am.”

Becca Smith, a sophomore environmental science and policy major, came to the event so she could listen to the different perspectives.

“I found it really cool that people who identify as LGBTQ could speak, as well as people who don’t,” Smith said. “‘Gay’ has become a political thing, and it was good to hear people’s stories. It makes it less of a political issue and more of a community issue.”

Not all of the people who gathered in the Stamp’s atrium for the event identified as LGBTQ or allies. Sophomore Peter Fairbanks, who said he would die before saying, “I support gay marriage,” came to see what people with beliefs that differed from his had to say.

“Do I think homosexuality is wrong? No. Do I think acting on homosexuality is wrong? Yes,” said Fairbanks, a biology major. “When I hear these stories, I feel sadness.”

As Fairbanks said this, Davinia Forgy, a transgender university graduate, approached the microphone and recited an original poem: “Having Wept for the Phobics.”