WYOMISSING, Pa. — Eric Alva will tell his story of coming out as a gay man in the armed forces and his advocacy for diversity and inclusion in the workplace during his lecture titled “The End of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in the Penn State Berks Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

A retired staff sergeant, Alva was the first Marine injured in the Iraq War. As a former spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, he played an instrumental role in the repeal of the military’s "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gay, lesbian and bisexual service members, working with members of Congress to end the discriminatory practice.

The next lecture in the series will be “'Get Out' and the Third Golden Age of Horror,” presented by Kendall Phillips, professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

Penn State Berks reserves the right to limit the photography and/or recording of any program. The permitted or prohibited activities during a particular program will be announced at the beginning of the event and/or included in the printed program. All media requesting interviews and/or access to photograph and/or tape any program must contact the Office of Strategic Communications at 610-396-6053.

This event is sponsored by the Penn State Berks Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.