Resource center for gays, others hosts open house
Jill Laster
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Campus News
- Page 1 of 1
A new resource center for homosexual students opens today in the Student Center after two years in the making.
An open house for UK OUTsource - the gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, questioning and ally (GLBTQQA) Resource Center - will be held at 4 p.m. today. OUTsource is located in the Student Center, across from the Student Government offices.
"(College) is a time and a place where students are exploring who they are, and that includes their sexuality," said Susan Matsubara, the center's student director. "The same support that heterosexual students enjoy during college needs to be extended to include students that identify as GLBTQQA."
Matsubara, a gender and women's studies and political science senior, UK law student Ross Ewing and UK alumna Mary Lesch went to Vice President of Student Affairs Pat Terrell to ask for a resource center on campus two years ago. The students then collected letters of support from students, faculty, staff and student organizations and secured space in the Student Center in September.
One of the factors that motivated the students to start the resource center was UK's 2005 Campus Climate Survey, Matsubara said. Negative remarks about gay and lesbian students outnumbered comments made against women, racial or ethnic minorities and religious minorities, according to the survey.
"This is one piece of evidence proving the hostile climate created for GLBTQQA students and the necessity of OUTsource," Matsubara said.
Christina Gilgor, executive director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, as well as state Sen. Ernesto Scorsone (D-Lexington) and Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees Russ Williams, will be speaking at today's open house.
"It's important to make students feel comfortable who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender," Gilgor said. "I think that sense of community on the part of UK's students is important to UK's gay and lesbian community."
The goal of OUTsource is to create a safe place for students to express and learn about gender identity and human sexuality, Matsubara said. The center will have resources like books and movies available to the public.
Another program OUTsource hopes to bring to UK is a Safe Space Sticker Program. After a training session on sexual orientation and gender issues, people involved in the program receive a sticker to post on their door to show support for GLBTQQA students.
"A GLBTQQA member can see that is a safe place," Matsubara said. "Hopefully it will be every faculty member, every department, every organization in the Safe Space program."
Since OUTsource is entirely student-run, volunteers will be key to making the Safe Space program grow, Matsubara said.
"It depends how much 'people power' we have how fast the program will spread," Matsubara said.
The resource center's hours in the upcoming weeks depend on the availability of volunteers. The center will be closed during finals week.
"We really need anybody, regardless of your gender identity or of your sexual identity, to volunteer for OUTsource because this is not just an issue that affects GLBTQQA individuals," Matsubara said. "It affects the campus climate; therefore it affects everyone."
Students who want to volunteer with the center can e-mail Matsubara at susanmatsubara@yahoo.com. Donations of books, movies and other resources for the center can be dropped off at the Vice President for Student Affairs' office in room 103 of Frazee Hall.
E-mail jlaster@kykernel.com
An open house for UK OUTsource - the gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, questioning and ally (GLBTQQA) Resource Center - will be held at 4 p.m. today. OUTsource is located in the Student Center, across from the Student Government offices.
"(College) is a time and a place where students are exploring who they are, and that includes their sexuality," said Susan Matsubara, the center's student director. "The same support that heterosexual students enjoy during college needs to be extended to include students that identify as GLBTQQA."
Matsubara, a gender and women's studies and political science senior, UK law student Ross Ewing and UK alumna Mary Lesch went to Vice President of Student Affairs Pat Terrell to ask for a resource center on campus two years ago. The students then collected letters of support from students, faculty, staff and student organizations and secured space in the Student Center in September.
One of the factors that motivated the students to start the resource center was UK's 2005 Campus Climate Survey, Matsubara said. Negative remarks about gay and lesbian students outnumbered comments made against women, racial or ethnic minorities and religious minorities, according to the survey.
"This is one piece of evidence proving the hostile climate created for GLBTQQA students and the necessity of OUTsource," Matsubara said.
Christina Gilgor, executive director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, as well as state Sen. Ernesto Scorsone (D-Lexington) and Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees Russ Williams, will be speaking at today's open house.
"It's important to make students feel comfortable who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender," Gilgor said. "I think that sense of community on the part of UK's students is important to UK's gay and lesbian community."
The goal of OUTsource is to create a safe place for students to express and learn about gender identity and human sexuality, Matsubara said. The center will have resources like books and movies available to the public.
Another program OUTsource hopes to bring to UK is a Safe Space Sticker Program. After a training session on sexual orientation and gender issues, people involved in the program receive a sticker to post on their door to show support for GLBTQQA students.
"A GLBTQQA member can see that is a safe place," Matsubara said. "Hopefully it will be every faculty member, every department, every organization in the Safe Space program."
Since OUTsource is entirely student-run, volunteers will be key to making the Safe Space program grow, Matsubara said.
"It depends how much 'people power' we have how fast the program will spread," Matsubara said.
The resource center's hours in the upcoming weeks depend on the availability of volunteers. The center will be closed during finals week.
"We really need anybody, regardless of your gender identity or of your sexual identity, to volunteer for OUTsource because this is not just an issue that affects GLBTQQA individuals," Matsubara said. "It affects the campus climate; therefore it affects everyone."
Students who want to volunteer with the center can e-mail Matsubara at susanmatsubara@yahoo.com. Donations of books, movies and other resources for the center can be dropped off at the Vice President for Student Affairs' office in room 103 of Frazee Hall.
E-mail jlaster@kykernel.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 14
David
posted 4/19/07 @ 10:02 AM EST
I think a resource center for this issue is an excellent idea. Thanks to all those involved in getting it here at UK. When will those of us experiencing same-sex attraction, but choosing to not act on them be established? People like me have no acceptance in the straight or gay community. (Continued…)
Isaiah Perry
posted 4/19/07 @ 10:51 AM EST
You people are sick.
crice0
Carly Rice
posted 4/19/07 @ 2:57 PM EST
I just wanted to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication to this project it may seem long over due but then again it may have come just in the nick of time. (Continued…)
Noah
posted 4/19/07 @ 5:08 PM EST
when do we get a resource center for other kinds of perverts? maybe the next thing is resource center for UK's paedophile community so they don't feel so guilty about themselves. (Continued…)
Zach
posted 4/20/07 @ 12:33 AM EST
I think this is a step forward for a UK community which, as the above comments evidence, remains steeped in ignorant homophobia. I am not sure how one compares pedophilia, the sexual abuse and/or rape of children, to the sexual relationship of two consenting adults, whatever their genders. (Continued…)
Patrick Smith
posted 4/20/07 @ 9:45 AM EST
"You people are sick."
"when do we get a resource center for other kinds of perverts?"
Comments like these prove that a resource center for GLBTQQA students is needed. (Continued…)
David Hasselhoff
posted 4/21/07 @ 3:02 PM EST
Let me clean the vomit off my keyboard and I'll comment on this...
Mary Catherine Smith
posted 4/22/07 @ 9:31 AM EST
Lee Todd has promised that UK will use tax-payer dollars and tuition money to give health insurance benefits to homosexuals and girl/boy couples who live together without the benefit of marriage. (Continued…)
pop
posted 4/23/07 @ 3:55 AM EST
they made it in the old womens bathroom lol
stats
posted 4/24/07 @ 7:56 AM EST
Why do advocates of this claim "this is an issue about what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes." You are kidding right - a public resource center in the Student Center based on the type of sex someone has. (Continued…)
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