Queer News On Campus [QNOC] Articles Digest
For the week ending 2010.09.26
Brought to you by the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals. http://www.lgbtcampus.org
Archives of the QNOC Digest can be found at http://queernewsoncampus.blogspot.com
Reminder: If you come across articles that should be included in the digest, please email a link to the article to articles@lgbtcampus.org
1. UC Berkeley News - Inspired by one small boy, a Berkeley father wins new UC parental-leave policy
2. The Chronicle of Higher Education - Diversify Diversity: Remembering Gay Students in Recruiting
3. The Daily Pennsylvanian - LGBT students debate coming out in on-campus recruitment
4. Inside Higher Ed - High Bar to Sue on Harassment Rules
5. MLive.com/Grand Rapids Press - Dustin Lance Black speaks about Hope College's stance on gay rights, controversy surrounding new movie at Toronto Film Festival
6. St. Edward’s University Hilltop Views - Walking the line, university takes on gay rights issue
7. Gay & Lesbian Times - The Gay Community rallies in support of undocumented students on the eve of a critical U.S. Senate Vote on the Immigration DREAM Act
8. UNM Today - LGBTQ Resource Center opens at UNM (Video)
9. Northern Iowan - Judy Shepard addresses gay rights
10. The Ithaca Journal - Ithaca College film series to screen 'Laramie' documentary
11. CU Independent - Queer women find a place in the CU community
12. Northern Iowan - ‘That’s so gay’
13. The Boston Globe - Harvard links ROTC return to end of ‘don’t ask’
14. The Hillsdale Collegian - Homosexuality on campus prompts policy
15. The Boston Globe - Brown criticizes Harvard leader on ROTC policy
16. The Good 5 Cent Cigar (URI) - Students protest to stop hate against LGBTIQQ students
17. SMU Daily Campus - SMU’s LGBTQ campus experience examined, defined
18. The Star-Ledger - College of New Jersey students kiss for more than 32 hours in world record quest
19. Central Florida Future - Gender identity protection worthy of concern at UCF
1. UC Berkeley News, September 7, 2010
Office of Public Affairs, 101 Sproul Hall #4202, Berkeley, CA 94720-4202
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/09/07_leave.shtml
Inspired by one small boy, a Berkeley father wins new UC parental-leave policy
By Carol Ness
BERKELEY — Jon Bain-Chekal, a finance project manager in Berkeley's controller's office, and his husband, Mark Chekal-Bain, were on their way to a wedding in Michigan when their social worker called.
"Can you cancel your plans?" she asked. A newborn had just been abandoned at a Pleasanton hospital — and Jon and Mark were waiting for a child to foster, and adopt.
That call, in 2004, started the Bain-Chekals on the extraordinary journey that is parenthood. It also marked the launching point of the two fathers' relentless quest to persuade the University of California to adopt a parental-leave policy for its unrepresented staff.
Six years later, Wesley has just entered kindergarten. And UC began the fall semester with a new policy that allows staff — men and women, gay and straight — to use up to 30 days of their own sick leave to care for and bond with a newborn, adopted or foster child.
The policy was announced by the Human Resources and Benefits office of the UC Office of the President after the end of spring semester. It was one of six adjustments made to the university's leave policy for its staff (see sidebar for the full list).
The parental-leave policy came about because of work by Bain-Chekal and allies on two chancellor's advisory committees he serves on: the committee on dependent care, and the committee on the gay and lesbian community. He worked closely with Sharon Page-Medrich, assistant to the dean of the Graduate Division and another LGBT committee stalwart.
Bain-Chekal remembers clearly what motivated him to persist in what proved to be an uphill effort.
When he and Mark decided they wanted a child, he had checked to see if he could use his sick leave and vacation time for family leave, and was told that he could. That information was one factor that kept him from leaving Berkeley, where he’d earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA, for a job at Cisco.
"I stayed at Cal because I wanted to have a family and I wanted parental leave to have a child," he says.
But then, when Wesley arrived and he asked to take three months off, the story had changed. He could use his vacation, but not his sick leave, he was told.
"I was an absolute wreck, trying to tie up my projects and prepare for a child in our home,” he recalls. “Fighting with HR was not what I should have been worrying about then."
Parental leave was a gray area at Berkeley, he learned, and whether staffers got to use sick leave or not was often up to their supervisor. He eventually was allowed to use his sick leave, as well as vacation, but heard from other employees that they weren't so lucky.
So he decided to try to do something about it — to get a clear policy that applied in the same way to everyone.
Asked what it took to get the job done, Bain-Chekal pulls out a three-inch-thick folder stuffed with documentation. "And I cleaned it out recently, because we were done," he adds.
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act requires that employers allow time off for family reasons, but it doesn’t provide for payment. In California, the state disability program provides six weeks of paid time off for women giving birth, and six weeks of family leave for fathers and adoptive parents.
But UC doesn't participate in the state disability system — and in any case, state payments fall short of full pay. The university has traditionally handled pregnancy as a disability and granted disability leave to mothers giving birth, but not fathers or adoptive parents.
Many corporations, however, have gotten out of the business of defining pregnancy as a disability and have moved to broader parental-leave policies, Bain-Chekal discovered.
"We all recognize that children in their early years need their parents and their parents need time with them," he argued. "Why make a distinction for giving physical birth or not? Why treat pregnant women differently?"
A fairer alternative, he proposed, was to have a policy that covered all parents equally.
"I always said it was one of the major equity and inclusion issues," he says. "It meant that people who couldn't afford unpaid leave really could use the FMLA benefit."
He also pointed out that such a policy meant no new expense to the university — and would help Berkeley retain valued employees.
"We want people to stay," he argued. "If we give them time off, they will."
Bain-Chekal started his campaign with Berkeley’s Human Resources office. Early on, he got the chancellor's committees on the LGBT and disability communities involved, as well as the UC-wide LGBT leadership group. Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau provided Berkeley Initiative for Leadership and Diversity (BILD) funding for Bain-Chekal and Page-Medrich to work part-time on the issue for one year.
"We had a broad spectrum of people involved," Bain-Chekal says. "But it's the LGBT people, who know what it's like to be marginalized, who kept pushing ahead."
Their efforts eventually focused on UCOP, which sets leave policy for all 10 campuses. There, Bain-Chekal had some inside help: Mark worked in external relations at UCOP during part of the effort, and was able to advocate in various ways.
The effort ground along slowly. Proponents were told at one point that they needed to win approval from the Board of Regents, and spent several years rounding up votes. But then UCOP decided it could act on its own, according to Bain-Chekal.
When action came, it was swift. UCOP put out a draft of its revised leave policy, and gave Bain-Chekal and Page-Medrich three days to respond — over a weekend. They wrote letters pointing out myriad issues and inconsistencies, and heard nothing more until June, when UCOP issued the new policy.
"Now it's official. The change in the policy that we wanted was one sentence," Bain-Chekal observes.
In the end, he contends that it will benefit Berkeley because the policy tells its employees the campus cares about them.
"It benefits me as I hire other employees and want to offer the benefit of a good family life — and then they contribute more back to the university," he says. "People come here because they are passionate about something. You want to harness that."
Recent changes to UC's policy on leave-of-absence from work
Here is the full list of changes in the university's leave-of-absence policy. UC's Human Resources and Benefits Office issued the policy on June 1, effective that day. The policy:
-Allows staff to use up to 30 days of sick leave to care for and bond with a newborn, adopted or foster child;
-Increases from to 60 days (from 30) the amount of sick leave an employee may use during a Family and Medical Leave to address a serious health condition of the employee, a spouse or domestic partner, a child or a parent;
-Allows a re-employed staff member to have previously accrued sick leave reinstated if the employee returns to work at UC within 90 days (previously 15 days);
-Increases to 10 days (from five) the amount of sick leave that may be used in the event of the death of a family or household member;
-Allows use of sick leave in order to donate bone marrow (up to 5 days) or organs for transplant (up to 30 days);
-Allows employees to use vacation leave or unpaid leave to serve as an election officer on Election Day;
-Prohibits staff from using vacation or sick leave intermittently during an unpaid leave of absence in order to benefit from holiday pay and employer contributions to benefits that would otherwise not be provided.
The updated policy applies to Professionals and Support Staff (PSS), Managers and Senior Professionals (PSS), and Senior Management Group (SMG) members. A PDF of the full Absence from Work policy can be found on UC's At Your Service website.
2. The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 19, 2010
1255 Twenty-Third St, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037
http://chronicle.com/article/Diversify-Diversity-/124433/?key=QTkmJVY%2FNHZAN3g2OWpBZDlXOn1qY017ZXJNY3t0bltTFQ%3D%3D
Diversify Diversity: Remembering Gay Students in Recruiting
By Kristy Almeida-Neveu
I am standing at Row 1 in the local convention center. I am 16. To my right, 24 more rows of a few dozen tables each trail off toward the distant west wall of the center. I can barely see the concession-stand sign just beyond them. Each table sports a freshly cleaned and pressed collegiate banner and pictures of happy students laughing and learning at their respective campuses.
Behind each table stands a representative—just as freshly pressed and polished as his or her banner. And while there are more than 1,000 other students at this college fair, I feel as though each representative is staring directly at me—waiting for me to say something profound or to ask a thoughtful, intelligent question that will tell the rep I am ready to take on four years of competitive, yet rewarding, education at his or her college.
But really, as a young lesbian student, I have just one question: Will I be accepted on your campus? Unfortunately, most of the representatives at this fair cannot answer my question. While they can go on for days about campus safety, stats, and resources, they seem completely out of touch with the needs of a young lesbian student, and they are clearly flustered when I finally summon the courage to ask. But doesn't every college freshman just want to fit in?
That was 1996. Sadly, little has changed in the college-admissions world when it comes to recruiting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students. At a time when the overall social climate has become more "gay friendly," when inclusive admissions practices are the norm, and when multicultural coordinators have become standard positions at colleges and universities, the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in multicultural recruitment efforts is seriously behind the times.
The term "diversity" has many facets—it's related not just to race and ethnicity, but also to socioeconomic status, religion, and, of course, sexual and gender identification. All of those facets bring valuable points of view to pedagogy and campus life. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students—along with other minorities—expose us to new attitudes and broaden our outlook on the world, as well as help us to accept ourselves and those who are different from us.
Nowadays most colleges have intricate multicultural recruitment plans designed to increase access for students who bring diversity to their campuses. Diversity is a coveted attribute, and most college professionals, as well as students, recognize the positive learning environment it creates. It is revered, pursued, and marketed to the nines. College representatives are meticulously prepped for questions about diversity issues. They rattle off polished and packaged answers about increasing awareness, improvements over the last 10 years, and groups and services—not to mention scholarships—available to "underrepresented" groups. But they rarely refer to services and resources designed specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.
Even when colleges do have resources to offer these students, the institutions often don't provide the necessary information to representatives before they start their rounds in the fall. The result is that the reps are not comfortable talking about relevant services with the students who ask about them. An admissions representative's lack of knowledge is a sure sign that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students are not a priority for that institution.
But the fact is, it's more likely now than ever that college reps will encounter openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. A 2003 report by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute found that these students are coming out and being open about their sexuality at the average age of 16—just in time to start their college searches. In the 1980s, the average age was between 19 and 23, typically after a student was enrolled in college.
Maybe colleges are neglecting gay teenagers in their recruitment efforts because they are seen as a relatively small percentage of the student population. While no one really knows the actual number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender teenagers in the United States, the number of young people who identify themselves that way is estimated at anywhere from 3 percent to 10 percent. That makes the range anywhere from 645,000 to 2,150,000, based on an estimated 21.5 million young people between the ages of 15 and 19 in the United States—hardly a small population, even if only a small portion of that range attends college.
Perhaps this group of students is overlooked because to focus on it would force colleges and universities to examine the truth about the safety and protection they offer these students. Realistically (and sadly), there are campuses where it isn't safe to be gay. Many states do not even offer the legal protection to these students that they do to racial and ethnic minorities and women, for example.
In fact, only about half of our states, and the District of Columbia, have laws that prohibit discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. This means that in states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, and Ohio (among others), a student is not legally protected from discrimination based on sexual or gender identification. Hate-crime laws in 20 states do not include or address hate crimes against gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender students at all. The lack of legal protection in some states leaves these students exceptionally vulnerable to discrimination, or worse. This is the kind of information that college representatives need to know when reaching out to gay students.
Some colleges are making great strides to connect with students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Some institutions offer programs such as "safe-zone" training, which teaches heterosexual participants to be supportive allies. Many campuses now have Gay-Straight Alliance groups that raise awareness and promote equality. A growing number of colleges are even offering housing specifically for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, as well as resource centers where students can go for confidential information and help.
I encourage all admissions staff members around the country and the globe to have frank conversations about the resources, services, and environment on your campuses. Is your campus safe for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students? How do you know? If your campus isn't safe, how will you advise them? Well-intended staff members at risky institutions need to think of students' safety before trying to encourage them to apply or enroll.
Overlooking the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students is a missed opportunity to foster both gay and straight students' understanding of the world. We need to do more to reach out to this population and help guide individuals through the college-selection process. They have real concerns about safety and fit, and it is our job to help them find both.
Now, nearly 15 years after my confusing college search, I walk the halls of a high school outside of Boston. Class is in session, so the corridors are silent, except for the clicking of my shoes and the muffled sounds of teaching and learning coming through heavy oak classroom doors. I pass a bulletin board with a brightly colored rainbow flier announcing the school's Gay-Straight Alliance meeting later that week. Such fliers are becoming a common sight in high schools these days. Maybe some of the students in that group will approach my banner-clad admissions table and ask me whether they will feel safe at my campus. And I will answer confidently.
Kristy Almeida-Neveu is assistant director of admission at Bryant University.
3. The Daily Pennsylvanian, September 19, 2010
4015 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
http://thedp.com/article/lgbt-students-network-openly-lgbt-professionals
LGBT students debate coming out in on-campus recruitment
By Anjali Tsui
With on-campus recruiting in full swing, an increased number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students are using LGBT networks within companies to help them navigate the job market.
Last week, consulting firm Oliver Wyman and The Boston Consulting Group held LGBT receptions near campus where students were introduced to the company’s LGBT members. These events are a forum for students and recruiters to share their perspectives on being openly LGBT on their resumes and interviews.
According to 2003 Wharton MBA alumnus and BCG Principal Scott Davis, many students arrive with questions about how to be “out” in the workplace and to clients.
Davis, who is the global co-leader of BCG’s LGBT network said that attendance at on-campus LGBT recruiting events has “grown significantly.” Last week, around 40 people attended BCG’s reception at La Terrasse — eight times the number of people who attended a similar function when Davis was an MBA student in 2003.
“In the last three to four years, I’ve seen a lot of people coming out at a much younger age,” he said. “People feel much more comfortable being out now. They see it as a non-issue.”
According to Bob Schoenberg, director of the LGBT Center, students who have performed well at Penn have the freedom to be selective. “More and more Penn students say, ‘Why would I want to work some place that can’t accept me for who I am?’” he said.
Wharton and Engineering junior and Wharton Alliance President Justin Warner said, “LGBT students that are closeted underestimate how challenging it is to be in the closet. When you’re at work, in a field where you dedicate a lot of time — it becomes a big stress factor.”
According to Warner, the mission of the Wharton Alliance — the Ivy League’s only pre-professional LGBT organization — is to remove the misconception that LGBT students are at a disadvantage during the job search.
“The mission of the Wharton Alliance is to show people that [being LGBT] is really not a liability — if anything, it’s an asset,” he said. “Firms that have strong LGBT networks are known for providing a safe environment for LGBT people. They attract the best candidates, LGBT or otherwise.”
Schoenberg added that the value that companies place on diversity has increased over the last ten years. Many students and companies pay close attention to the Human Rights Commission’s Corporate Equality Index, which ranks U.S. employers based on their policies and respect for LGBT employees.
“It’s almost a competition to see who can be the most friendly to minority groups,” said Wharton junior Ned Shell, the vice president of Wharton Alliance.
However, according to Shell, many LGBT students make two versions of their resumes — one that omits any direct mention of LGBT activities — to present to more conservative employers.
College junior Mari Kishi, who is an exchange student from Japan, is familiar with this practice. Kishi attended both the Oliver Wyman and BCG receptions last week.
“I was really shocked at first because in Japan even if you are out on campus, you are not usually ‘out’ in the recruiting process,” she said. “I was really surprised that there are actually sexual minority groups in companies.”
4. Inside Higher Ed, September 20, 2010
1320 18th Street NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/09/20/lopez
High Bar to Sue on Harassment Rules
By Scott Jaschik
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Community College District arising out of the way a public speaking professor harshly criticized a student presentation that opposed gay marriage.
The community college district has not defended the professor's conduct, and the appeals court noted "serious concerns raised by policies that regulate speech on college campuses," but the ruling upheld the community college district's sexual harassment code. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that Jonathan Lopez, the student who sued, presented arguments that "come to the very edge of showing injury in fact," but that he failed to show actual damage from the sexual harassment code -- and that as a result he lacked the legal right to sue.
Given that critics of campus harassment rules have challenged many of them through suits by plaintiffs like Lopez, the standards for legal standing are a topic of concern to many who aren't involved in the Lopez case.
The lawsuit concerns what happened in a public speaking course at Los Angeles City College on Nov. 24, 2008, shortly after the passage in California of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state.
John Matteson, the professor, had asked students to give a speech on the topic of their choice. Lopez, who describes himself as a devout Christian, spoke about issues of faith and God. According to the appeals court's summary of the facts in the case, Lopez touched on the issue of gay marriage by reading Bible passages and quoting from the dictionary, at which point Matteson called his student a "fascist bastard" and told the class that anyone who was offended could leave. Nobody left and Matteson then dismissed the class.
A few days later, Lopez turned in to Matteson a list of possible topics for a future speech, and while Matteson gave Lopez an A on the list, he wrote: "Remember -- you agree to Student Code of Conduct as a student at LACC."
While Matteson -- who has not commented on the case -- referred to the code, the college notably did not use it to take action against Lopez. According to the court's summary of the facts in the case, once Lopez (with legal assistance) started to complain about what had happened, the college assured him that he would be treated fairly. Not only were no charges brought against him, but some disciplinary action was taken against Matteson (citing confidentiality requirements, the college hasn't said what that was). Lopez received an A for the course.
The appeals court ruled on Lopez's challenge to the harassment policy as being overly broad. Parts of the harassment policy -- banning requests for sexual favors, for example -- have not been controversial. But the challenge has focused on interpretations by district officials of the definition of sexual harassment, and in particular of the parts of that definition that critics say would regulate legitimate speech.
Specifically, the policy has been defined by district officials to cover “generalized sexist statements, actions and behavior that convey insulting, intrusive or degrading attitudes/comments about women or men. Examples include insulting remarks; intrusive comments about physical appearance; offensive written material such as graffiti, calendars, cartoons, emails; obscene gestures or sounds; sexual slurs, obscene jokes, humor about sex.”
The ruling went out of its way to stress that while the judges felt legally bound to focus on the issue of standing, they saw concerns about college policies regarding speech. "Formal and informal enforcement of policies that regulate speech on college campuses raises issues of profound concern," the decision said.
A federal district judge granted an injunction to stop enforcement of the policy, citing its breadth and noting that students such as Lopez might feel constrained in expressing legally protected views. "As a student at LACC, he is subject to the policy. Plaintiff’s interest in the policy is more than a general interest shared with the student body at large. He alleges that he is a Christian who is duty-bound to share his religious beliefs with other students. However, he refrains from doing so for fear of punishment under the policy," said the decision granting the injunction.
The appeals court decision, while agreeing that students might be able to challenge a harassment policy based on realistic feelings that their intended statements would get them punished, said that wasn't the case here. The decision noted that Lopez had been assured that the college does respect the First Amendment and planned no action against him for his statements. "[T]he inapplicability of the plain language of the sexual harassment policy to Lopez’s speech, and the absence of any official interpretation of the policy as applying to Lopez’s speech, cut against the existence of a credible threat of enforcement," said the decision.
Officials of the Alliance Defense Fund, which backed Lopez and urged the appeals court to find the harassment code unconstitutional, could not be reached for comment.
Another group that supported Lopez is the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which filed a brief in the case. "If the lower court’s opinion is reversed, university administrators will be encouraged to silence merely unwelcome student speech by maintaining unconstitutional speech codes, despite the fact that the vast majority of such speech is entirely protected by the First Amendment," the brief said.
"The Supreme Court has warned that '[t]o impose any strait jacket upon the intellectual leaders in our colleges and universities would imperil the future of our nation.... Teachers and students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die.' If this court overturns the district court’s decision, the resulting opinion will act as this 'strait jacket,' resulting in a creeping uncertainty about the status of protected speech on campus. Students will surely self-censor rather than risk punishment for running afoul of unconstitutional speech codes like the one defended in the present appeal by LACCD. Such a chill is nothing less than an existential threat to open debate and discussion at our nation's colleges, and, therefore, to the marketplace of ideas itself."
Will Creeley, director of legal and public advocacy at FIRE, said via e-mail that the group was "disappointed" by the ruling. "While recognizing the profound importance of free expression on campus, the court nevertheless ignores longstanding precedent and sets the bar for standing unreasonably high," Creeley said. "Students like Jonathan Lopez enjoy full First Amendment rights -- and must be allowed access to the courts when those rights are threatened by unconstitutional speech codes."
5. MLive.com/Grand Rapids Press, September 20, 2010
155 Michigan St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/09/dustin_lance_black_speaks_abou.html
Dustin Lance Black speaks about Hope College's stance on gay rights, controversy surrounding new movie at Toronto Film Festival
By James Sanford
TORONTO -- In the end credits of writer-director Dustin Lance Black's "What's Wrong With Virginia," the filmmaker adds a special thank-you to Holland's Hope College. But that doesn't mean Black and college administrators have resolved all their differences.
"Ha! Not by a long shot!" said Black, with a laugh.
The tensions between the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Milk" and the school began in October of last year when Black -- who was in the midst of shooting his film at the time -- was invited to speak about screenwriting and to host a screening of "Milk," followed by a discussion about gay rights and sexuality. The college had no problem with Black talking about his craft, but they vetoed the forum.
Hope spokesman Thomas Renner explained that Black's "notoriety as an advocate for gay rights would not contribute constructively to the ongoing exploration and dialogue on our campus."
In December, Black returned to Holland for two sold-out screenings of "Milk" (although they weren't held at Hope) and a meeting with Hope College Dean of Students Richard Frost, in which Black urged Frost to recognize the Gay-Straight Alliance group at Hope.
Nine months later, Black wonders if it was all nothing but talk.
"I've never heard anything positive from the leadership of the college, and it sounds like they haven't changed the policy at all," he said. At the same time, he's grateful that the issues are at least being discussed.
"They started this conversation, and it's a great conversation to have," he said. "You gotta reach out and create an atmosphere where you can have this kind of a conversation, or else you'll never have change."
Black emphasizes that, for the most part, he greatly enjoyed his time in Holland.
"They embraced me," he said, adding with a chuckle, "maybe because I have blond hair and blue eyes!"
The filmmaker returned the favor by making Holland look heavenly in his stylish comedy-drama about paranoid schizophrenic single mom Virginia Nicholaus (Jennifer Connelly) and her 16-year-old son, Emmett (Harrison Gilbertson). Virginia has had a lengthy secret affair with local sheriff Richard Tipton (Ed Harris), which creates tension when Emmett falls in love with Tipton's daughter, Jessie (Emma Roberts). The movie is set in Virginia Beach, which Black and his crew effectively recreated along the shores of Lake Michigan.
"Virginia," produced by Holland's TicTock Studios, premiered last week at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Black, Connelly, Harris, Gilbertson and co-stars Yeardley Smith and Amy Madigan fielded questions at a packed press conference last Thursday.
Black is waiting for news of a domestic distribution deal for "Virginia."
"We had fantastic test screenings: three in New York and one in L.A.," Black said, "and in the past three days, we've had some really terrific reviews coming out. It's a bit of an expectations game."
Black's trip to Toronto was both heartening and hectic. "I'm trying to process the whirlwind of it, because this film has kicked up some controversy. The public seemed to love it, The New York Times loved it coming into the festival -- and Hollywood doesn't seem to know what to make of it."
"Virginia" was very well-received at both of its public screenings in Toronto, and everyone seems to agree Connelly's performance as the feisty, frustrating, free-spirited Virginia is a solid knockout. Yet the critical reaction is mixed.
Variety critic Peter Debruge had problems with the screenplay, but added "it must be said that the guy is making some of the most personal movies in Hollywood. 'Virginia' shows the director at his most autobiographical."
Movieline's S.T. Vanairsdale was more enthusiastic: "This is a well-acted movie from top to bottom, but Connolly stands out across the board for her ability to keep up with Black's sudden, almost bipolar tonal shifts. It's hilarious, it's sad, it's scary, and it's thrilling to watch how everyone in her orbit -- hell, the whole community -- reacts to her provocations."
Black said he can understand some of the critics' confusion.
"It has kind of an operatic quality," he said of the film. "Emotionally, I am more moved by many operas than I am by straight drama."
E-mail the author of this story: yourlife@grpress.com
6. St. Edward’s University Hilltop Views, September 21, 2010
3001 South Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704
http://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/walking-the-line-university-takes-on-gay-rights-issue-1.1625913
Walking the line, university takes on gay rights issue
By Anna Whitney
Recent events have shown that St. Edward's University is faced with the conundrum of embracing student diversity while at the same time keeping true to Catholic teachings.
The university has particularly found itself in a tight spot when it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. This was evident on Aug. 31, when the university denied a request from Equality Texas, an LGBT advocacy group, to participate in the school's nonprofit fair. Perhaps no on-campus organization better illustrates the university's challenge to both uphold Catholicism and promote diversity than one of its own student groups, Promoting Respect, Inclusion, Diversity and Empowerment (PRIDE). PRIDE is a support group for gays, lesbians and transgendered students.
Father Rick Wilkinson, C.S.C., the director of Campus Ministry, met with members of PRIDE in a forum on Sept. 13 to explain that Equality Texas was rejected from the nonprofit fair due to its support of same-sex marriage.
Wilkinson said it was his decision to deny Equality Texas participation in the Sept. 15 nonprofit fair, a Campus Ministry-sponsored event. He came to this conclusion after viewing the Equality Texas website.
"The page on same-sex marriage is in direct conflict with Catholic teachings," Wilkinson said.
Sophomore Andrew Guerrero, PRIDE's current president, contacted Campus Ministry after meeting with PRIDE's executive board. Campus Ministry agreed to set up a forum to discuss the decision.
The forum included a speech by Guerrero, a response by Wilkinson and a discussion involving the students, faculty and staff present.
Guerrero opened the forum with a speech in which he said he had been approached by both students and faculty who were disappointed and hurt by the decision to deny Equality Texas participation in the nonprofit fair.
Wilkinson said he wanted to emphasize the importance of PRIDE as an organization to promote education and an end to discrimination against LGBT students.
"We want you to feel safe," he said. "If you feel discriminated against, Student Ministry should be a place where you can go."
Wilkinson said, however, that there is a line where education becomes advocacy-a line that Campus Ministry cannot cross. He said that although he misunderstood that Equality Texas is in fact a nonprofit organization, ultimately the group's support of same-sex marriage was the reason for declining its offer.
"[Equality Texas] supports same-sex marriage in a very public way," he said. "There were other issues too, but that one was much more glaring."
Wilkinson said Campus Ministry is put in a difficult position when it struggles to respect student diversity and uphold Catholic teachings, especially when addressing LGBT issues on campus.
"We have been called homophobic [for the nonprofit fair decision] … we have also been called un-Catholic because we support gay and lesbian students on campus," he said. "There are always questions as to where the boundaries are."
In the discussion that followed, students, faculty and staff voiced their opinions and asked Wilkinson questions about what PRIDE can do within these boundaries.
Grace Maverick, a freshman member of PRIDE, began the question-and-answer session.
"If there was an organization that didn't support same-sex marriage, could they theoretically be involved [in the nonprofit fair]?" she asked.
Wilkinson said his initial reaction would be yes, but he would have to look into the group's mission statement to verify that it does not advocate any belief that is in conflict with Catholic teachings.
Some students and faculty voiced their opinions, challenging the idea that PRIDE is treated the same as all of the other recognized on-campus organizations.
Guerrero said a rough description of PRIDE's planned activities for the year must go through Student Life and Campus Ministry before the events are approved.
"The process we have right now … it's making our members uncomfortable," Guerrero said.
Professor Alex Barron, PRIDE's faculty advisor, said that because PRIDE requires special event approval, it is held to a different standard than other groups.
"We [St. Edward's] are not standing against discrimination if we have different standards for different organization," Barron said. "That's the definition of discrimination."
Senior Catherine Degen said that last year, the St. Edward's Unity Coalition (which partnered up with another organization to become Social Justice and Service Outreach) asked to show an educational film about sex change operations. She said the request was denied, yet the University Programming Board was able to show the film "The Hangover," which includes topics that are directly in conflict with Catholic teachings, such as violence and crude sexual content.
"This is one of these issues where different groups are held to different standards," Degen said.
Wilkinson said he did not know anything about "The Hangover" being shown.
Although some forum attendees voiced their complaints, others acknowledged Campus Ministry's awkward position. Both Barron and Guerrero said that they understand the bind Campus Ministry is in.
"I've always understood Campus Ministry's position on this," Guerrero said. "I understand that there's a limitation on what I can do."
Wilkinson and Maverick, as well as other PRIDE members, discussed plans for purely educational events that the group might be allowed to host, such as a Day of Silence to educate the university at large about discrimination against LGBT students.
Sophomore Mary Cartwright, PRIDE's event coordinator, expressed a desire that the event approval process become "more streamlined" in the future.
Wilkinson agreed and said Campus Ministry would help in any way that it can.
Guerrero said there is room for improvement in PRIDE's interactions with Campus Ministry and the university in general, but he is optimistic.
"This forum was an opening for more interactions," Guerrero said after the forum. "It's a conversation that's going to need to be ongoing."
Some of St. Edward's faculty has also spoken out against the university's decision.
English Professor Tim Green has began circulating a petition that objects to the equality Texas decision.
The petition also calls for a university wide dialogue to clarify the relationships between Catholic teaching, academic freedom, human rights, and social justice.
"For some, the decision ... implies that the university (including its faculty) does not seek social justice for all nor wish to serve a culturally diverse student body," Green said.
7. Gay & Lesbian Times, September 21, 2010
3443 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92108
http://gltnewsnow.com/2010/09/21/the-gay-community-rallies-in-support-of-undocumented-students-on-the-eve-of-a-critical-u-s-senate-vote-on-the-immigration-dream-act/
The Gay Community rallies in support of undocumented students on the eve of a critical U.S. Senate Vote on the Immigration DREAM Act
By Staff Report
Students “Come Out” as Gay and Undocumented
LOS ANGELES, CA: More than 100 people filled the Village courtyard of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center on Sunday, September 19, 2010, to raise community awareness and scholarship funds for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) undocumented UCLA students at a reception, “Standing With the Students: Out, Proud, and Undocumented.” Critically, there are more than 300 undocumented students enrolled at UCLA. Since the 32% fee hike earlier this year, one in five of these students has had to withdraw from college because they could no longer afford the fees and others have lost scholarship opportunities because of their status.
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32) discussed her support for the Federal DREAM Act, which is a rider to a defense-spending bill to be voted on this week by the U.S. Senate. The DREAM Act would create a path to citizenship for undocumented students and members of the armed forces who meet the eligibility requirements. Rep. Chu spoke of a former campaign volunteer that she later learned was gay, undocumented and consequently ineligible for government financial aid and struggling to pay for college. The Congresswoman was so moved by his story that she paid for his first quarter at UCLA.
Four students spoke of their struggle to complete their education and their complex identities as being openly gay and undocumented. Diego Sepulveda, of IDEAS (the organization of undocumented UCLA students) and head of the National Queer Student Coalition, spoke of the importance of “coming-out” as undocumented to friends, professors, and lawmakers to put a human face on the plight of these students. He spoke of the growing solidarity between the immigrant rights movement and the LGBT community struggle for equality.
Diego explained that he learned of his undocumented status when he began to apply for college. He was brought to the U.S. as an infant and attended school here all through High School, like all his friends had. He and the other students explained the financial struggle to achieve their educational goals and the emotional challenge of knowing that even if they graduate, employment opportunities will be closed to them.
Roland Palencia, a political refugee from Guatemala and UCLA alum, spoke of his own struggle to survive when he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border during the 1970s. Representing the Latino Equality Alliance, Mr. Palencia explained, “We have invested so much in the education of these students that it only makes sense that we legalize our investment. We desperately need an educated workforce to compete in the global economy. The DREAM Act will give these high-achieving students an opportunity to prosper and contribute back to society. This is a win-win. I urge the LGBT community to help the students complete their education through financial support and encourage you to contact your Senators and ask them to pass the DREAM Act.”
A broad coalition of LGBT organizations sponsored the event, including the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center , Latino Equality Alliance, FAIR, HONOR Fund, Immigration Equality, API Equality-LA, BIENESTAR, the Human Rights Campaign, Roots of Equality and The Wall/Las Memorias. Organizations and individual sponsors may contribute online at www.LibertyHill.org search “UCLA DREAM FUND”.
8. UNM Today, September 21, 2010
The University of New Mexico, Communication and Marketing, MSC04 2545 Welcome Center,
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
http://news.unm.edu/2010/09/lgbtq-resource-center-opens-at-unm/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lgbtq-resource-center-opens-at-unm
LGBTQ Resource Center opens at UNM
By Sari Krosinsky
Click link for video.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Resource Center at the University of New Mexico serves people of all genders and sexual orientations through training, education, support and advocacy. The center opened in August 2010. Visit the LGBTQ Resource Center.
9. Northern Iowan, September 21, 2010
L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166
http://www.northern-iowan.org/judy-shepard-addresses-gay-rights-1.2336785
Judy Shepard addresses gay rights
By Dakota Funk
Last Thursday, Judy Shepard visited the University of Northern Iowa to spoke at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center about the gay community and the Matthew Shepard Foundation she created in memory of her son.
Shepard first discussed her victim impact speech she delivered at the sentencing hear of Russell Arthur Henderson, one of the men who plead guilty to killing her son. The trial was held in Laramie, Wyoming on April 15, 1999. Shepard then discussed more about Matthew's interests and about the horrific news of when she and her husband found out what had happened to their son. She said she was living in Saudi Arabia and on Oct. 8 1998, they received a call that Matthew was in a hospital, with severe injuries, in Fort Collins, Colorado. After many hours of traveling to get to the hospital, they arrived and she couldn't even recognize her son because his face was covered in bruises and full of stitches.
When Matthew died on Oct.12 1998, Shepard vowed to make something positive come from his death. She founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which was created to honor Matthew and the foundation seeks to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance.
Later, Shepard discussed how society interprets homosexuality. She says you have to educate people about the gay community so they know more about it. Some people are ignorant about the fact that homosexuality is not a choice but a life style. She questioned the marriage debate and why it really matters who someone else loves. Shepard emphasized equality for everyone and paying more taxes, losing your job, not being able to get married and not being able to be in the military because someone is gay is wrong.
"In society, gay people are seen as the outcast group and our society does not understand the truth about the gay community," Shepard also stated. She says the greatest responsibility as United States citizens is to be able to vote and get our voices and opinions heard about gay marriage rights.
Shepard also addressed cyber-bullying. She feels it is wrong to just suspend a bully when they do something wrong. She thinks we need to get to the deeper part of it because students can not learn if they fear bullies all the time.
There was also a question and answer session towards the end of her speech. One of the guys asked if Shepard ever feared for Matthew's safety when he came out as gay. She said she did not fear for his safety but he was very opinionated. Another person asked what Matthew would say if he saw what his mother were doing.
Shepard boldly responded, "You go girl."
"I find it very interesting for her to be able to do this because of the Westboro Baptist Church and she sends a message that everyone needs to hear about acceptance," said Sam Koch, a senior geography major, who found Shepard's speech very uplifting.
Chelsea Ecklund, a sophomore undeclared major, agreed with everything Shepard said because she has a lot of gay friends and it is disgusting how people can loath them. After listening to the speech, it made Ecklund want to get involved in many gay activist clubs like Allied and One Iowa.
Right before Judy Shepard's speech, many students gathered outside of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center to counterprotest the WBC's planned protest, which was not carried out once again. The counterprotest was very similar to last Monday's protest.
"I was very heartened by it." Shepard said, referring to the UNI student's counterprotest. "To have that people show up and show their support is just really great." Shepard also had something to say about the WBC headed by Fred Phelps.
"I feel sad for them that their lives are so steeped in hate that there doesn't seem to be any kind of compassion in their lives," Shepard said. Shepard also does not blame Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney for murdering her son. She blames society for creating an environment that made murdering Matthew appear to be acceptable.
For more information on how you can donate or get involved in the Matthew Shepard Foundation, visit www.matthewshepard.org.
10. The Ithaca Journal, September 22, 2010
123 W.State St., Ithaca, NY 14850
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100922/NEWS01/9220315/Ithaca+College+film+series+to+screen++Laramie++documentary
Ithaca College film series to screen 'Laramie' documentary
Unknown
In October 1998, Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and left to die. The horror of this incident pushed Laramie, Wyoming, into the media spotlight and sparked a nationwide debate about homophobia, gay-bashing and hate crimes.
Filmmaker Beverly Seckinger's documentary on the aftermath of Shepard's murder, "Laramie Inside Out," will be presented at Ithaca College at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29, in Textor 103. This free screening is part of the "Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen" film series sponsored by the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Education, Outreach, and Services.
An independent producer and a professor in the School of Media Arts at the University of Arizona, Seckinger grew up in Laramie and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1981. She decided to return to her hometown to see how Shepard's murder had affected the site of her own closeted adolescence. Along the way she met Westboro Baptist Church Rev. Fred Phelps, who condemns Shepard and all homosexuals to an eternal hell, but also many more -- parents, teachers, clergy and students -- who tell their stories, speak out and take action against homophobia.
11. CU Independent, September 22, 2010
Armory Building, 1511 University Ave., University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309
http://cuindependent.com/2010/09/22/queer-women-in-the-cu-community/
Queer women find a place in the CU community
By Devon Barrow
The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Steph Wilencheck was the director of the Women’s Resource Center, she is the director for the GLBT Resource Center. The article also incorrectly stated that the T in GLBT stood for transexual, it stands for transgender.
Last updated September 27 at 12:42 a.m.
CU is turning heads as a campus recognized for its acceptance of queer women in the CU community.
According to the Alumni Association website, CU has achieved the national reputation of being an exceptionally gay-friendly campus.
Emily Merrick, a straight 17-year-old freshman and integrated physiology major, said she agrees with that reputation.
“CU is very supportive of all people whatever their orientation is,” Merrick said. “There are clubs that support gay and lesbian rights. Classes that focus on the acceptance of all people show how the rights for gays and lesbians have changed.”
CU was pronounced a member of the top 100 gay-friendly schools in “The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students,” a book recommending the top schools for prospective lesbian, gay bisexual and transgendered students.
In terms of queer women, CU offers a number of programs and groups that impart support and acceptance.
According to its website, the Women’s Resource Center, located in UMC 416, aims to provide an environment within which women of any orientation can flourish through various peer groups.
Steph Wilenchek, the director of the GLBT Resource Center, said she sees queer women participating in both the center and on campus in leadership activities, in organizing events, and as staff of the center.
But one group within the center specifically gears itself toward the queer women at CU: Queer Women In Community.
Every Monday, the QWIC meets in the Women’s Resource center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. According to the group, the QWIC endeavors to provide a fun and welcoming community for queer women.
According to its website, the CU GLBT (a different arrangement of LGBT) Resource Center, established in 1995, strives to encourage equality in opportunity and aid in academic, social, and personal success for queer women and other orientations.
Another group, the Gay Straight Alliance, said its mission is to help the GLBT community seek acceptance and respect regardless of gender, while combating homophobia and transphobia.
Just a few of the other CU groups supporting queer women include Coming Out Faithful, The Queer Initiative and Queer People of Color.
Despite the numerous organizations, students and faculty convey contrasting views on whether or not queer women play a role and feel accepted at CU.
“In my classes I’ve been getting great reviews about CU,” said Scarlet Bowen, co-director of the LGBT Studies Program. “Usually students preface remarks with ‘We’re at a very great university for queers.’”
Studio arts major Rebecca Preston, a 21-year-old junior and queer woman, explained a differing stance.
“I think queer women are generally supported on campus, but there really isn’t a space or place specifically geared towards their involvement,” Preston said. “Yes, there is the Community Center, but it’s not like queer women serve an active and ongoing role on campus.”
Wilenchek said she agrees that although there exists peer groups and resource centers for queer women, she simultaneously sees potential betterment.
“I always feel like there is room for education and awareness and shifts in our culture,” Wilenchek said. “I think especially of queer women, sexism and homophobia.”
Alexandra Warnek, a straight, 18-year-old freshman classics major, shared her perspective on the place of queer women at CU.
“I think [CU is] as supportive as a large university can be,” Warnek said. “I wouldn’t say they play any sort of role. I see them as normal people having a college experience.”
Many students said they believe that the vast array of opinions regarding queer women at CU indicates the necessity to better welcome them into the community.
To help queer women feel more supported and comfortable at CU, Warnek said more advertising of the peer groups and resource centers should be implemented, as well as additional encouragement of maintaining a safe environment.
Preston said that the student body could simply attend more to the existence and place of queer women at CU.
“Realize they exist,” Preston said. “That they come in many other forms other than what ‘The L Word’ promotes, and that we all don’t play basketball or have crew cuts.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Devon Barrow at Devon.barrow@colorado.edu.
12. Northern Iowan, September 23, 2010
L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166
http://www.northern-iowan.org/that-s-so-gay-1.2340203
'That's so gay'
By Lauren McCollum
It's an unfortunate reality, but derogatory terms and phrases are heard countless times every day in public schools. More than ever, quips such as "no homo," "fag," "dyke" and "that's so gay" have become a serious issue that future educators will face as they enter their prospective careers.
In recognition of this problem, Iowa Safe Schools is holding two workshops for University of Northern Iowa education majors at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Oct. 8 in the Center for Multicultural Education.
The sessions -- part of UNI's "Standing on Higher Ground" project -- are designed to draw awareness to the bullying and harassment the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities face daily among young people in the public school system.
The workshops will also serve as an opportunity for future educators, counselors and family service workers that may be interested in learning various methods to handle this serious yet delicate issue.
Regarding the goals of "Standing on Higher Ground," Amy Hunzelman, director of education and special projects at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center said, "The project looks to strengthen our community and improve the climate for LGBT students and potential students, staff, faculty and citizens. Through participation in workshops, panel discussions, performances, films and lectures we encourage people to challenge their thoughts and to think about their own beliefs."
For further information or to RSVP, contact Hunzelman at amy.hunzelman@uni.edu.
13. The Boston Globe, September 23, 2010
135 Morrissey Boulevard, P.O. Box 55819, Boston, MA 02205-5819
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/09/23/harvard_links_rotc_return_to_end_of_dont_ask/
Harvard links ROTC return to end of ‘don’t ask’
By Tracy Jan
Harvard University, which expelled ROTC four decades ago, will welcome the military training program back to campus only when the ban on openly gay and lesbian service members is repealed, the university’s president said yesterday.
Harvard’s president, Drew Gilpin Faust, speaking the day after the US Senate declined to take up a measure that would have repealed the “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy, said vestiges of antimilitarism on campus dating to the Vietnam War are largely gone and she would now welcome the opportunity to “regularize our relationship’’ with the armed forces.
“We are very much looking forward to the end of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ ’’ Faust said. “It will be a very important moment to us when that happens.’’
Faust’s comments on the university’s relationship with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps came during a wide-ranging discussion with reporters and editors at the Globe, kicking off a day of events at which she sought to highlight the university’s contributions to the city of Boston.
During the interview, Faust reiterated Harvard’s commitment to developing a campus in Allston and said she expects her predecessor, Lawrence H. Summers, to prove to be an extraordinarily popular professor upon his return from the Obama administration to Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in January.
She also addressed three recent controversies at Harvard, declaring that the university will more closely scrutinize undergraduate applications after a student was charged with faking his way in; saying the future of a prominent psychology professor cited for research misconduct remains uncertain; and defending Harvard’s decision to accept money for a research fund honoring a journalist criticized for an anti-Muslim blog post.
Harvard’s strained relationship with the military has been controversial for years, and came to the nation’s attention again in June, when the Senate grilled a former Harvard Law School dean, Elena Kagan, about a period when that school barred military recruiters. The Senate went on to confirm Kagan as a Supreme Court justice.
Harvard had expelled ROTC from campus in 1969, amid protests against the Vietnam War. Today, Faust said, there is only one reason ROTC is barred from campus: The issue is “entirely linked to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ ’’ She said Harvard bars discrimination by all undergraduate groups.
But Harvard students do participate in ROTC, with the university’s blessing, by joining the program at MIT. And Faust, like Summers before her, has actively engaged Harvard’s military community, attending the commissioning ceremonies of ROTC graduates and publicly displaying support. Last night, Faust invited ROTC cadets to appear with her at Fenway Park when she threw out the first pitch at the Red Sox game.
During the interview yesterday, Faust also broke the university’s silence on whether undergraduate admissions policies would change in response to last spring’s discovery that a senior, Adam Wheeler, had doctored or falsified transcripts, College Board scores, and recommendations to gain entry into one of the nation’s most selective schools.
The case, she said, highlighted the challenges facing all colleges to recognize growing opportunities for dishonesty made possible by increasingly sophisticated technology. Harvard will respond by implementing its own technological measures, starting with the next round of applications, to help guard against such fraud, she said.
“We are going to be making appropriate adjustments, which we don’t describe because they’d be easier to undermine,’’ Faust said.
Faust also called into question the future of psychology professor Marc Hauser, whom the university has found responsible for eight instances of scientific misconduct.
The university’s official stance has been that Hauser would return to teaching in July 2011 after being placed on a year’s leave. But yesterday Faust said there are “too many uncertainties of what the future is going to bring’’ for her to know whether Hauser will resume teaching.
“He may decide he may not wish to come back,’’ Faust said. She also said findings from an ongoing federal investigation could have a bearing on his return.
Addressing another controversy, Faust defended the university’s decision to accept more than $500,000 from alumni and others for an undergraduate research fund to honor former lecturer Martin Peretz, who will be recognized on Saturday, along with nine others, at the 50th anniversary celebration of Harvard’s social studies program. Peretz, the editor of The New Republic, sparked protests with a recent blog post, for which he has partially apologized, on the value of Muslim lives and whether Muslims were worthy of constitutional freedoms.
Faust has condemned Peretz’s comments, but said, “It’s a very complicated matter, to say this person is morally OK or this person is morally not OK.’’
Faust recommitted to Harvard’s long-planned, but recently delayed, expansion into Allston.
“Allston is, of course, central to Harvard’s future,’’ Faust said, though “that future will be longer in coming’’ because of the financial setbacks that have confronted the university in the last two years. Faust announced in December that the university was putting the brakes on building a much-touted $1 billion state-of-the-art science complex in Allston, after the university’s endowment plunged with the stock market.
Faust said she has appointed a team of faculty and administrators to examine how to enliven and beautify the Allston property in the short term, and what academic or arts facilities might be built there over the long term. The team, which includes professors from Harvard’s schools of business, design, and government, is expected to issue recommendations to Faust in the first half of 2011. Faust said the team will consider ideas such as forming partnerships with other universities, businesses, or foundations to develop space for science research.
“We are very committed to moving forward in the most efficient and timely way that we can,’’ she said. “There will be a substantial life sciences presence in Allston.’’
As for the return of her controversial predecessor, Summers, to campus, Faust predicted that there will be “long lines of people’’ eager to take his classes. Summers has been serving as the chief White House adviser on economic policy for nearly two years.
“He will bring his experience on the front lines of Washington right into the academy,’’ Faust said.
Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com.
14. The Hillsdale Collegian, September 23, 2010
Hillsdale College, 33 East College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242
http://www.hillsdalecollegian.com/news/homosexuality-on-campus-prompts-policy-1.1643136
Homosexuality on campus prompts policy
By Liz Essley
A warm April day in Hillsdale, 2010. Two students lay on the quad, one's head resting on the other's stomach. The two were a couple. The two were also men.
Complaints from other students swirled up to the dean of men's office. This was Hillsdale, one of the most conservative schools in the nation. Why were gay men displaying affection in public? What would Hillsdale do about it?
What would Hillsdale do about it? The episode was not the first to provoke that question.
This summer, the administration decided to answer, writing a document that spells out Hillsdale's beliefs about sexual intimacy and the policy designed to guide its decisions regarding that issue.
The guidelines
The guidelines, approved by the board of trustees and dated July 2010, were announced to the faculty at the pre-opening conference Aug. 27 and were posted on the college's website Sept. 2.
The guidelines document states that the college believes sexual intimacy belongs "in marriage and between the sexes." It states that the college cannot support "organizations or activities that contravene this commitment." It also states that the college welcomes all to thoughtful inquiry who are "willing to work in [a] collegial context."
"The document is a guideline for policies and applies primarily to student affairs. It is meant to articulate a long-standing belief of the college," Associate Provost David Whalen said.
Whalen said the document does not demand agreement from students and that the college was "not looking to antagonize" anyone.
"Questions arose about this, and we wanted some consistent way to address them," President Larry Arnn said.
Though most students remain unaware the document exists, some are already dissenting.
"I respect the fact that as Hillsdale they don't accept government money and they can do as they like... but at the same time I think it's an insult to free inquiry at Hillsdale," former student Ben Crane, who is gay, said.
Gay students interviewed said they knew between eight to 12 gay students, either in or out of the closet, on Hillsdale's campus. They said more had graduated and more may be unknown to them.
Others disagreed with the document because they saw it as an attempt to ban clubs such as the Gay Straight Alliance, which a group of students tried to start in spring 2009.
"From what I've gathered there a lot of gay students at Hillsdale who aren't out of the closet, and this [GSA] would benefit them," senior Christina Stephens, who is lesbian, said. "[The administration] preaches a free-learning environment, but preventing programs like these is detrimental to that."
Professor of Philosophy Donald Turner, though he agrees with the most of the document, believes the college should allow the formation of organizations opposed to the college's mission as long as they are not disruptive.
The discussion
Administrators said they created the document to respond to a national climate increasingly hos-tile to the college's ideas about sexuality, and also to respond to ongoing questions from students.
The school's conversation about homosexuality was jump-started in November 2007, when then-freshman Joel Pavelski (now The Collegian's Vibe editor) published an editorial in which he mentioned he was gay and challenged students to value unity over uniformity.
The discussion moved to the forefront again in fall of 2008, when Jake Morgan '10 published a series of opinions articles in the The Collegian in which he supported gay sexual activity. Morgan and some friends attempted to form a Gay Straight Alliance in spring of 2009, but after months of wrangling with club technicalities, the effort fell flat.
The spring of 2010 saw the issue circulate again when then-freshman Crane and Pavelski changed their relationship status on Facebook to "engaged."
People talked.
"No one looked at me twice when it was just me being gay at Hillsdale. Everyone was like, ‘Fine, do whatever you want'.... But as soon as I started dating Ben … people freaked out," Pavelski said.
Pavelski and Crane were planning to use the college's policy on married couples to allow Crane to move off campus. Under the new guidelines, they would not have been able to do that.
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said the "ongoing student discussion" over the issue compelled the administration to take it up. He included in the "discussion" Morgan's Collegian opinions, stu-dent complaints about gay public affection and the Facebook engagement announcement.
Fear about pressure from outside organizations also motivated the administration to create the document, Whalen said.
Homosexual in Hillsdale
Homosexuality remains shrouded at Hillsdale. That gay people attend Hillsdale surprises some. Students agree that most people don't know the school has homosexual students.
Gay students interviewed said they came to Hillsdale despite its conservative atmosphere because they leaned libertarian or because they valued the intellectual development Hillsdale could offer.
They said being openly gay at Hillsdale means getting cold shoulders from some, but acceptance from others.
"I think that largely Hillsdale College is split right down the middle," Pavelski said. "There's a huge camp of people who are here because they are conservative Christians ... those people, I think, walk to the other side of the sidewalk when I walk by, don't make eye contact and do what every good Republican does and just ignore it. But I think the other half of campus deals with people on an individual level ... I think that portion of campus sees me as Joel before they see me as being gay."
Students said they had experienced little to no discrimination, with exceptions. Drunken students made anti-gay comments to Crane on a couple occasions. Students approached Stephens and told her to change her lifestyle. Pavelski said two members of the administration attempted to prevent him from joining the Dow Journalism Program because of his views on sexuality.
But on a daily basis, gay students said they experience civility.
"It's not that difficult. I've never been spoken down to, which is nice. I don't feel persecuted or anything," junior Nick Pisano, who is gay, said.
Stephens said she found her friends supportive and her professors accepting.
"There is definitely some hostility. There is also some acceptance. It depends on the individual," she said.
Pisano said he likes being at Hillsdale partly because he likes adding diversity.
"It's a goal to prepare students for the modern world," he said. "If they're too isolated, or if they see [homosexuals] as an abomination or walking sin, they won't be able to deal with them in their day-to-day lives. That's why I'm here."
Gay students interviewed all disagreed with the document on varying points.
Crane saw the document as coming from a college that is drifting from a more libertarian and open attitude to a more Christian and dogmatic one.
"Essentially they want to make it the Bob Jones of the West," he said.
Pisano said he thought the new guidelines would push gay students away from Hillsdale.
"I think 10 years down the road, the chance of gay people coming here will go down. And I think that's what the administration wants. It will make the donors and certain people on campus more comfortable," Pisano said.
Pavelski agreed the college had changed.
"Not only do I think Hillsdale was a different place when I came here, but it actually was," he said. "The establishment wasn't on the defensive, and because they weren't on the defensive, they were more open."
15. The Boston Globe, September 24, 2010
135 Morrissey Boulevard, P.O. Box 55819, Boston, MA 02205-5819
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/09/24/brown_criticizes_harvard_leader_on_rotc_policy/
Brown criticizes Harvard leader on ROTC policy
By Matt Viser
Click link for video.
WASHINGTON — Senator Scott Brown chastised Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust yesterday for not allowing ROTC programs back on campus while she lobbies for illegal immigrants who want to attend college, saying Harvard and its leader have their priorities “upside down.’’
“I am extremely disappointed to learn of Harvard University’s decision to continue to ban ROTC from its campus,’’ the Massachusetts Republican said in a statement. “It is incomprehensible to me that Harvard does not allow ROTC to use its facilities, but welcomes students who are in this country illegally.’’
The comments, which he reiterated in a brief interview, constitute a rare broadside from one of the state’s highest-profile politicians, targeting its most prominent university.
Faust, in an interview Wednesday with Globe reporters and editors, said that Harvard would welcome the military training program back onto campus only when the “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy against openly gay and lesbian service members is repealed.
She has also been a vocal supporter of an effort to grant legal status to young immigrants if they meet certain conditions, including two years in college or the military. That stance, too, drew Brown’s fire.
“Harvard has its priorities upside down,’’ Brown said. “They should embrace young people who want to serve their country, rather than promoting a plan that provides amnesty to students who are in this country illegally.’’
A Harvard spokesman stood by the university’s position on the “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ repeal.
“President Faust has said many times that she very much looks forward to the day when the opportunity to pursue military service will be available to all our students who have the ability and the desire to serve,’’ said John Longbrake, an assistant vice president at Harvard.
The university expelled the ROTC program from campus in 1969 amid protests against the Vietnam War. Faust told the Globe this week that the only reason it is still barred is “entirely linked to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ ’’ — a policy that Faust calls discriminatory.
Harvard students still can participate in ROTC, with the university’s support, by joining a program at MIT. Faust has publicly supported ROTC graduates by attending commissioning ceremonies and other events.
Brown’s comments also reflect his opposition to a pathway to citizenship for youths in the country illegally, an effort known as the Dream Act. That position places him at odds with much of the state’s higher education community.
Faust — along with the leaders of Tufts, Boston University, Northeastern, MIT, Boston College, UMass-Boston, and the University of Massachusetts — sent a letter this week to Brown and Senator John F. Kerry urging them to vote for the Dream Act. Faust also came to Washington last week to advocate for the bill, bringing an immigrant Harvard student who was detained in June for being in the United States illegally from Mexico.
Brown calls the plan “amnesty’’ and its supporters politically motivated.
“They’re welcome to come up here and lobby,’’ Brown said in a brief interview yesterday. “Just like everybody else — they want to lobby on “don’t ask don’t tell,’’ they want to lobby about the Dream Act, that’s great. Come on up,’’ he said. “But to hold our men and women, the students who want to participate in ROTC, hostage because of those beliefs is wrong.’’
Brown, a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts National Guard, has sought to carve out a record on military issues and he sits on the key committees of Armed Services, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security. He served in the ROTC program at Northeastern University, while he was a student at Tufts.
Earlier this year in the Armed Services Committee, he voted against a repeal of “don’t ask’’ when it was inserted into a comprehensive defense policy bill. On Tuesday, he voted to back a filibuster preventing action on that overall defense bill. The delay was a setback for gay-rights advocates.
He has previously taken criticism from those advocates for his opposition to gay marriage and for once saying it was “not normal’’ for former state senator Cheryl Jacques and her partner to have children, a comment for which he apologized.
The “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy also came up earlier this year when Brown met with Elena Kagan, who enforced a limit on the work of military recruiters when she was dean of Harvard Law School. Brown said he was satisfied with Kagan’s explanation, but later voted against her nomination as Supreme Court justice because he said she didn’t have enough judicial experience.
Kerry has also opposed the barring of ROTC programs on such campuses as Harvard’s, although he also supports both repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ and approving the Dream Act.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid had been pushing to attach the Dream Act to the defense policy bill. That effort, too, was stymied this week by the Republican filibuster.
One political analyst said Brown’s statement could be an effort to stir up his base and to reframe an anti-immigration message that has taken hold in some parts of the Bay State and across the country.
“It combines being rough on immigrants . . . and bashing elites,’’ said Maurice Cunningham, a UMass-Boston political science professor. “There’s two things he gets out of it . . . and they both have some appeal.’’
Faust’s comments were also targeted on the campaign trail in the Bay State.
“University officials apparently have no problem opening Harvard Yard to people who break our laws by residing in the United States illegally while they attend school,’’ said Jeff Perry, the Republican nominee for the 10th Congressional District. “However, those same university officials find it unacceptable to support our men and women in uniform as they close Harvard’s campus to students who will fight to protect American’s freedoms.’’
Republican gubernatorial Charles D. Baker, a 1979 Harvard graduate, also criticized his alma mater.
“It’s a bad message to send to the ROTC, to people who serve in our armed services, that somehow they’re not welcome on any campus,’’ Baker said outside the State House, where he was holding a press conference on illegal immigration. “It’s too bad that Harvard doesn’t have ROTC on its campus.’’
Michael Levenson of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com
16. The Good 5 Cent Cigar (URI), September
URI Memorial Union, Rm. 125, 50 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI 02881
http://media.www.ramcigar.com/media/storage/paper366/news/2010/09/24/News/Students.Protest.To.Stop.Hate.Against.Lgbtiqq.Students-3936062.shtml
Students protest to stop hate against LGBTIQQ students
By Noelle Myers
University of Rhode Island students filled the library's 24-hour room as of midnight Wednesday night to protest against harassment and discrimination toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
The majority of the protesters were members of the GLBT (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender) Center or community, LGBTIQQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Inter-sex, Queer, Questioning) students and members of the Gay-Straight Alliance club.
The protesters are requesting a new GLBT Center as the current one is located in Adams Hall and consists of two dorm rooms, which doesn't leave much room to hold events or meetings, Brian Stack, student leader of the protest, said. He said it's inconvenient because only student residents have access to the dorms, and students living in buildings other than Adams don't have access after hours.
The GLBT community is currently looking to relocate to a house on Lower College Road, which Stack said would fit all of their needs.
Stack said it has the potential to "be a space we can be proud of."
He said the house is for sale and they had proposed the idea to administration, but no action is currently being taken.
"If we didn't do this, we were still gonna be ignored," Stack said.
He said LGBTIQQ students are also looking for respect, and throwing used condoms at resident doors and yelling, "faggot," when walking by Adams Hall is not acceptable.
"[We want] to educate the campus and ultimately make it safe," Stack said.
The GLBT community hopes to do this by hosting information sessions for URI 101 students. The sessions will discuss GLBT-related issues and LGBTIQQ-terminology. They also wish to make it mandatory for resident assistants to have training in regards to these issues.
"You shouldn't be able to get through college without knowing what a transgender person is," Stack said.
This is the first year that the GLBT has been given a budget from Student Affairs, but Stack said it is not nearly enough money. They are not requesting a specific number, however, they need enough to meet their demands.
The $50,000 Diversity Fund is an option for GLBT, but Stack said they are not guaranteed a portion of the money. They would have to submit a concrete proposal and it would have to later be approved. Stack said he needs to find out what the proposal must entail before they start working on one for submission.
"I don't think the protest has been effective," Stack said yesterday afternoon. "Some students don't care at all, but others have been incredibly supportive."
Some protesters skipped classes yesterday and Stack said the faculty has been understanding and supportive as well.
Prior to speaking to President David M. Dooley on the phone, Stack said, "I think [Dooley will] understand where we're coming from. Dooley's heart might be in the right place."
After speaking to Dooley, who is currently in California, Stack said "[Dooley] essentially said no to all of our demands."
The two discussed the issue of reporting hate crimes on campus, and Stack said Dooley feels the reporting structure can be worked with.
Stack said the previous president, Robert L. Carothers, flew back from a trip in '97 in response to a student protest regarding hate crimes, and Dooley should be doing the same.
"Flying home immediately, I'm not sure is the solution, but certainly meeting as soon as possible," Vice President of Student Affairs Thomas Dougan said.
Dougan said he and Vice Provost Donald Dehayes met with the student protesters throughout the day and plan to meet again when Dooley returns.
"I think what the students are doing is terrific," Dehayes said. "We want to work with them to make this campus climate better."
Stack said the students will continue to protest until their demands are met.
"We're still here and we're gonna be here all night," Stack said.
17. SMU Daily Campus, September 24, 2010
3140 Dyer St. #314, Dallas, TX 75275
http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-s-lgbtq-campus-experience-examined-defined-1.1645911
SMU’s LGBTQ campus experience examined, defined
By Jessica Huseman
A recent study has revealed that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people are met with a "chilly" climate on college campuses across the nation.
The study was conducted by Campus Pride, a national non-profit working to create more comfortable environments for LGBTQ students on college campuses.
This is the first study of its type, said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride's executive director. "National research has consistently shown that LGBT youth in kindergarten through high school encounter alarming rates of harassment, discrimination and bullying. There has never been a comprehensive national study to document what happens when these youth go to college – until now," Windmeyer said.
The study found that lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ) respondents experienced significantly more discrimination and harassment than their heterosexual counterparts. Furthermore, those who identified as transmasculine or transfeminine and gender non-conforming experienced significantly higher rates of harassment than men and women.
It also found that LGBQ respondents who identified as racial minorities were more likely than white LGBQ students to report race as the basis for harassment and felt even more uncomfortable than white LGBQ students in their classes.
But does this study hold true for SMU's campus? Alex Parrish, co-president of the SPECTRUM, an organization for LGBTQ students and their allies, said that he doesn't think so.
"I personally have never felt uncomfortable while on campus," Parrish said. "I only experienced one instance of name- calling or gay bashing, and that was from one of the random hordes of children that appear on campus sporadically."
Parrish said that most of the LGBTQ students he knows feel comfortable on campus but that "there is a tacit understanding that as long as they don't announce or flaunt their sexual identities, they can fit in."
Katie Perkins, student body secretary and one of the main authors of last year's Senate legislation that would have added an LGBTQ special interest seat to Student Senate, said that she believes some of the tension is present on our campus.
"I think that the problem isn't really with the institution or the administration, I think it's with students and the ignorance that comes with being a college student," Perkins said. "A lot of kids, especially on our campus, have never really encountered that type of person before."
Aaron Barnes, a senior and active participant in SPECTRUM, said that he feels safe on campus but says that "being trans[gendered] and identifying as queer in regards to my sexuality definitely does compound the problem."
Barnes said that the level of acceptance of LGBTQ students on campus varies by school. In his own major, anthropology, Barnes believes students are more accepting because of the nature of their studies. He said that the same is true for the rest of Dedman and for Meadows as well.
"I don't feel comfortable going to the school of business because there is a culture there that is a totally different atmosphere," Barnes said.
But Barnes, Perkins and Parrish all agree that the school itself is not the problem. "SMU has great resources in the Women's Center and SPECTRUM, and while other universities may have similar centers and organizations, I feel ours is one of the best," Parrish said.
18. The Star-Ledger, September 25, 2010
1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, NJ 07102
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/college_of_new_jersey_students.html
College of New Jersey students kiss for more than 32 hours in world record quest
By Kristen Lord
EWING - The challenge seemed simple enough. After all, a kiss is still a kiss.
But when Matty Daley and Bobby Canciello locked lips under a tent at The College of New Jersey campus in Ewing on Saturday at 11:32 a.m., they were embarking on the ultimate kissing endurance test.
Within hours, their legs turned to cement. Sweat streamed from their brows from the combined 80-degree temperatures and body heat. The lack of food and sleep induced waves of nausea. And by the 29th hour, Daley faced a crisis prompted by the Guinness rules preventing bathroom breaks.
“I felt disgusting,” Daley, 20, of Toms River, said of his decision to relieve himself while maintaining the kiss. “But I think it showed how badly I wanted it. I just kept thinking, ‘We have to do this, we have to do this.’”
For 32 hours, 30 minutes and 45 seconds, Daley and Canciello maintained their kiss until they could no longer stand, let alone stand kissing each other — beating the previous record set on Valentine’s Day 2009 by a German couple by a full 23 minutes.
“My lips are still a little numb,” Daley said, still recovering a few days after the record-breaking accomplishment. “Being awake and on our feet the entire time was so physically exhausting.”
Once the record is verified by Guinness, Daley and Canciello, 19, of North Brunswick, will also become the first same-sex pair to set the longest continuous kiss record.
There was admittedly no romantic motivation for the kiss. Daley and Canciello, who are both gay, said they are strictly friends who hatched the plan to break the record last Spring while procrastinating on their term papers.
They dubbed it the “Our Lips are Sealed” campaign on their website mattyandbobbykiss.tripod.com, with the goal “to Queer the Guinness World Records (some more).” Canciello said he was amazed by the support of the community for their effort. More than 330,000 people from two dozen countries watched portions of the ordeal through a live web stream of the event.
“I just hope we can encourage people not to be afraid,” Canciello said of the gay-awareness motivation for the record. “Love is universal no matter who you are.”
Daley said they initially planned the attempt for August, but officials at The College of New Jersey asked them to wait until the university was in full session to involve more students.
“I don’t think any other college would have been as supportive,” Canciello said. “I was really surprised at the student body cheering us on with signs and posters.”
Still, there were detractors.
A sign was posted in a nearby dorm room window saying “Gays are bad,” but disappeared overnight after other windows in the building began to fill with signs supporting the record attempt.
At 3 a.m. Sunday, some 15 hours into the record, a passer-by on a bicycle shouted anti-gay slurs and was promptly stopped by campus police. Daley and Canciello declined to press harassment charges in exchange for an on-camera apology to the live-streaming web audience.
As the record-breaking moment approached at 8 p.m. Sunday, the crowd of supporters swelled to 300 people and music blasted from the tent. A digital clock ticked off the final moments as fellow students chanted Daley and Canciello’s names.
“During that last hour, there was such a nervous energy,” Canciello said. “It was like an adrenaline rush. Then, more than ever, I had to calm myself down, focus on my breathing, and just think about getting this done.”
They finally broke their kiss after 117,045 seconds and Canciello turned to thank everyone watching on the live feed.
“I can’t believe the response all of this got, at all,” Canciello said. “The amount of love that people showed to us was just phenomenal. It really shows how much people can connect with something as simple as a kiss.”
There’s more waiting for Canciello and Daley as they petition Guinness to certify the record, at a cost of $500. The earliest they would appear in the official record book would be the 2012 edition.
“We had no idea the impact it would have,” Daley said, remarking at all the emails of support he’s received. “It really became a special experience for me. As I was going through it, I realized that I want to keep fighting to one day be recognized as an equal citizen with a husband and a family. Everyone deserves that experience no matter what.”
19. Central Florida Future, September 26, 2010
11825 High Tech Ave. Ste. 100, Orlando, FL 32817
http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/gender-identity-protection-worthy-of-concern-at-ucf-1.2342759
Gender identity protection worthy of concern at UCF
By Alexander Sierra
My name is Alexander Sierra, and I am a transgender student at UCF. In the Sept. 13 issue of the Future, on Page A10, on the bottom right corner, this was published:
"The president and most of the good ole boys on the BOT are somewhat conservative businessmen. Behind closed doors, I am sure they laugh at the idea of gender identity, as do most in their generation.
"I personally think it is odd and very abnormal human behavior to think one needs to be the opposite sex. I guess I don't really care about it, but it is very odd to me."
Though, clearly he cares enough to publicly say how laughable and odd he thinks we are.
It continues: "I just can't understand how a normally developed human being with a relatively normal social upbringing and environment would think that way, so I guess they are not normal in the development.
"Who cares? What 10 people really care about this? Has anyone ACTUALLY been discriminated against because of this issue? If so, please cite examples. If not, then why fight for ‘rights' that are not even needed."
It was signed only "anonymous."
So, Mr. Anonymous, please allow me to educate you.
There are, in fact, many people who care about this issue at UCF. In fact, more than 100 of them came out in support of equality for transgender students at UCF at the Senate meeting on Sept. 2. The Senate is for gender identity protections too, with an almost completely unanimous vote in favor of them. Even Maribeth Ehasz, vice president of Student Development and Enrollment Services, has vowed that the concerns of transgender students will continue to be a priority.
Do people get discriminated against because of this issue?
Mr. Anonymous, sir, people are killed in cold blood constantly just because they identify differently. Some people, unfortunately, do not show such restraint as you have shown, limiting their disdain for people like me to writing into their local newspaper, but instead take some steps ahead to rid the world of such laughable, abnormal and odd people. If they even see us as people at all. I could cite you some examples if you wished, but that doesn't even address the bigger issue here.
What difference does it make if there have been documented incidents or not? The fact that trying to protect a minority on campus stirs up so many feathers points, as do your comments, to how much ignorance around transgender issues there really is in this community.
What difference would it make to you if we were protected or not? What effect would it have on your existence, Mr. Anonymous? Absolutely none. Because clearly you know of no one who identifies as transgender.
I, for the life of me, don't think I will ever understand what it is about us that makes people so afraid. We have a different set of experiences, but fundamentally, we are the same as you. We breathe the same air, eat the same food, long for the same things. We struggle for a sense of identity not unlike most people who are college-aged, if in a more visible way.
You have a right to your opinion, just like anyone else, but my suggestion would be to learn a bit more about the topic before making such generalizations.
You see, every time someone does that publicly, it makes the transgender person struggling to find themselves take a step back from acceptance, and it gives the person who already thinks we're just a bunch of freaks another excuse to hate us.
I like to think of myself as a pretty good person. I don't lie or steal or cheat. I go to class, and I make good grades. I vote, I volunteer my spare time to help my community become a better place for LGBT people. I try my best to do the best I can every day, and there are people out there who will hate me anyway. Not because of the things I do or the person that I am, but because I was born female. I have upon me this label of transgender that they cannot and will not comprehend.
Let's be clear here, Mr. Anonymous. I'm not accusing you of hate. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are just uneducated about what transgender means. Transgender is an umbrella term, loosely defined as anyone who does not completely identify with the sex that they were born into. This covers a wide variety of identities, but the one most people focus on is transsexual. A Transsexual person has made a physical transition via hormones and or surgeries from one sex to the other.
Most, if not all, transsexual people know that their body does not match their identity at a very early age (around age 5) which coincides with most psychological research around child development. Societal pressure will typically lead us to keep our identities secret until a breaking point of some kind. A point where the true identity can no longer be hidden and the options are reduced to: live as who I really am, or commit suicide.
We realize that transitioning is an extremely difficult path and that it will put a stigma on us for life. We realize that people will react negatively toward us because of who we are. But the need to finally feel comfortable in our own bodies is so great that nothing else matters.
Now, I'm sorry, Mr. Anonymous, but I haven't come this far just to be called "laughable" and told that my "rights" don't matter by someone who doesn't even have the conviction to write his real name after his comments. To any transpeople that may be reading, you DO matter, and your rights ARE needed. And as long as I am on this campus, I will continue to fight for them and to fight the ignorance that exists here.
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 regarding fair use of copyrighted work, this material is distributed without profit for information, research, and educational purposes. The Consortium has no affiliation whatsoever with the originators of these articles nor is the Consortium endorsed or sponsored by the originators.
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