Colleges address lesbian, gay issues
College campuses across the north country seem to be pulling together around their LGBT students after a rash of suicides and hate crimes that rippled across the country.
In conjunction with National Coming Out Day on Tuesday, several campuses have had guest speakers, vigils or film screenings to promote awareness of gay and lesbian issues.
One of those events at Clarkson University, Potsdam, included a talk by Shane L. Windmeyer, founder of Campus Pride, an online network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender student leaders. Though the event, which was sponsored by a student organization, was scheduled before February, it fit well with what has been going on in the news.
"The reason why people who are gay commit suicide is because of the bullying that happens from the pulpit, the bullying that happens from our Legislature," Mr. Windmeyer said. "It takes people standing up and saying, 'This is wrong.' If somebody makes a fag joke, it's the easiest thing in the world to say, 'That's stupid, I have a friend who's gay; shut up.'"
Mr. Windmeyer's visit was part of a weeklong series of events planned around National Coming Out Day at Clarkson.
It seems that across north country colleges, more and more people are speaking out in support.
SUNY Canton is planning several events for this week about LGBT issues, bullying and domestic violence and is working to set up a screening of a documentary called "Bullied: A School, a Student and a Case that Made History," according to Residence Life Director Courtney B. Bish. Those events have been set up in part because of a driven student body looking to create a forum.
"They're incredibly aware; we actually had a couple of students approach us at a soccer game about what can we do on campus about this," Mrs. Bish said. "We have a pretty large contingent of openly gay students."
Despite having several days off last week and midterm exams, St. Lawrence University, Canton, sent around a list of resources for people to use if they wanted to talk about discrimination or issues related to sexual orientation, and one of the university's clubs is planning a vigil later in the year, according to the Rev. Kathleen Buckley, chaplain.
For more than a year, SUNY Potsdam also has been working to reach out to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender prospective students, including going to college fairs designed with that population in mind.
"I wouldn't say that we actively recruit LGBT students; definitely, it's a population that's in my mind," Admissions Counselor Derek K. Pooley said. "The thing that a lot of people are asking is what the culture is regarding LGBT students. The ones that I've been talking to are worried about how the community reacts."
When he was a student at SUNY Potsdam a couple of years ago, Mr. Pooley, who is gay, never encountered any discrimination because of his sexual orientation. Now that he is working at his alma mater, he has not heard any derogatory comments or been made to feel uncomfortable, he said.
Jefferson Community College, Watertown, was not planning to hold any events or discussions, according to spokeswoman Karen J. Freeman.
But events going on over the next few weeks on campuses are not the end of the road, especially at Clarkson. The university has begun training students, faculty and staff to be part of a "safe space network," which is a national program that teaches people how to be "allies" to LGBT people.
Since the program started in January, nearly 200 people have been trained to be allies, including every student in the physical therapy program and the university's resident assistants.
Clarkson also is making a video to be part of the "It Gets Better" campaign, a national campaign of video messages to young LGBT people. The university also is beginning to plan events for its LGBT alumni, according to Jennifer M. DeCoste, associate vice president for institutional diversity affairs.
"I think alumni can be such a support, and that's what makes things like 'It Gets Better' such a wonderful thing," she said. "Imagine being a middle school kid who is being bullied, and then they hear from someone who is from their middle school that it gets better. I think that's really important for college students too."
