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Higher Education Committee of Governor's Commission
on Gay and Lesbian
Youth
Copyright 1993
Massachusetts Governor's Commission
on Gay and Lesbian Youth
Rm. 111 State House
Boston, MA 02133
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce all or part of this document for educational, government, or other not-for-profit purposes provided the source and authors are cited.
| David LaFontaine, Chair | |
| Alice Folev. Vice Chair | |
| G. Stewart Barns Sharon Bergman Dean Bruno Jessica Byers Luann Conaty Jerry Cheney Bill Conley Harold Dufour-Anderson Al Ferreira Marshall Forstein Alexander Gray Holly Gunner |
Doris Held
Kevin Jennings Steven Johnson Cynthia Lanane Abner Mason Enrique Maysonet Vincent McCarthy Margaret O'Neill Dale Orlando Stephen Perreault Michael Savage Sterling Stowell |
Warren J. Blumenfeld
Author and Research Consultant
Jeffrey L. Javits
Contributing Writer and Editor
The Reverend G. Stewart Barns
Chair, Committee on Higher Education
Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth
The Commission is grateful to the many students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae of the following institutions for their valuable assistance and advice: Brandeis University, Curry College, Emerson College, Fitchburg State College, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Smith College, Suffolk University, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts (Amherst & Boston), and Wheaton College.
Room 111 State House Boston, MA 02133
July 1993
Dear Friends in Higher Education,
During the academic year 1992-1993, the Higher Education Committee of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth heard testimony and conducted focus groups with a cross section of students, faculty, and administrators from a number of colleges and universities throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We were ably facilitated by Warren Blumenfeld, an author of note on the history of gay and lesbian people and the consequences of homophobia for all people. The enclosed report is the result of our meetings and research.
We learned that even in colleges and universities which already have clearly stated anti-discrimination statutes including sexual orientation, sexual minorities still often feel excluded. Without additional education and advocacy, sexual minorities continue to be isolated, devalued, and subjected to insensitivity, harassment, and violence. We hope that this report may be of use to you and others who care about making colleges and universities safe and supportive places for everyone.
The Higher Education Committee, consisting of fellow Commission members Marshall Forstein, M.D. and Alexander G. Gray, Esq., appreciates the support and suggestions of the full Commission in the production of this report, in particular its chair, David LaFontaine. We are also grateful to our principal author and research consultant, Warren Blumenfeld, and writer and editor Jeffrey Javits, each of whom volunteered countless hours.
For his vision and leadership in appointing our nation's first Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, we are deeply grateful to Governor William F. Weld. Governor Weld and Lieutenant Governor A. Paul Cellucci have steadfastly demonstrated their commitment to protecting the rights of gay and lesbian youth and ensuring that schools are safe learning environments for all.
Sincerely yours,
The Rev. G. Stewart Barns
Chair, Committee on Higher Education
Governor's Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth
RECOMMENDATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
EXECUTIVE ORDER CREATING THE COMMISSION
Governor William F. Weld signed an executive order on February 10, 1992 creating the nation's first Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. Governor Weld and Lieutenant Governor Paul Cellucci formed the Commission inresponse to the epidemic of suicide by young gays, lesbians, and bisexuals as revealed in a 1989 federal report on youth suicide.
The Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth is the first commission of its kind in the United States.
Prevention of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth suicide and violence prevention, as well as prevention of problems faced by young gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in schools and in the family are central to the Commission's mandate. The Commission is empowered to make recommendations to the governor, to state agencies, and to private agencies about the creation of programs and policies which will help gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth in Massachusetts. Abolishing prejudice and discrimination against gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth is a stated goal of the Commission as expressed by Governor Weld in the preamble to the executive order.
The Commission exists on an ongoing basis as an all-volunteer advocacy group, serving under the auspices of the Weld/Cellucci administration. The Commission is charged with making an annual report to Governor Weld.
This higher education committee report of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth is derived from testimony of students from a number of college and university campuses, from national studies, and from documented research.
The first section of the report sets the stage by documenting the history of the emerging college and university student movement.
Though late 19th-century Germany is the place many historians credit as the beginning of the battle for "homosexual emancipation," a "new wave" in the history of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (hereafter referred to as les/bi/gay/trans) political and social movement for liberation and equality occurred with the Stonewall Riots in New York City in June 1969. This event was followed closely by the rapid development of the college and university student activist movement.
Despite twenty-five years of visible organizing around gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues on college and university campuses, students still face enormous hurdles to true freedom, safety, emotional well-being, and acceptance.
The Second section discusses the problems faced by les/bi/gay/trans college and university students, faculty, and staff.
Les/bi/gay/trans and those perceived as such often face instances of harassment, violence,-and other forms of victimization by strangers, peers, and at times, even family members. Incidents of les/bi/gay/trans harassment and violence have steadily increased each year since the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force began documenting such cases, with a significant percentage occurring on college and university campuses.
A number of college and university administrators have refused to grant official recognition of les/bi/gay/trans student campus groups. Some campuses have even seen the "Heterosexual Pride Rally" organized by homophobic students aimed at further harassing les/bi/gay/trans students and their allies.
Students forced to endure the daily harassment coupled with a lack of positive information and role models leads often to issues of low self-esteem and self-hatred; depression; higher school dropout rates; higher instances of substance abuse; parental rejection where young people are often forced to leave home; difficulty in the development of social skills; and higher rates of ideation, attempts, and completion of suicide. In fact, a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that les/bi/gay/trans youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts and they comprise 30 % of all completed youth suicides annually.
In addition, professors and instructors are often discouraged from teaching or conducting research on les/bi/gay/trans issues, and denied tenure or employment over issues of actual or assumed sexual identity.
Colleges and universities can do much to fulfill their purpose of providing the best possible education in a safe and supportive environment for students of all sexual identities.
The third section of this report makes a number of recommendations to assist colleges and universities achieve these goals and bring about a truly unified campus community for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administrators. These recommendations are made in the following areas:
Schools should adopt policies to reduce harassment and violence, to increase les/bi/gay/trans visibility, and to provide equal access to campus services and benefits without regard to actual or perceived sexual identity.
Training and development to sensitize and educate members of the campus community is a necessary step towards laying a secure foundation for meeting the real needs of les/bi/gay/trans students and staff.
Services can be provided to ensure the safety of students and staff, meet their health and counseling needs, and end their isolation while meeting their social and recreational needs.
d. Curricula and Academic Affairs
Schools can redesign curricula and provide other academic means of incorporating issues addressing the les/bi/gay/trans experience.
Since the presence or absence of les/bi/gay/trans staff and faculty who are safe, comfortable, treated with respect by others, and open about their own lives has a direct effect on the students they teach and support, it is imperative that openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender faculty and staff be treated fairly and equally.
f. Community and Off-Campus Concerns
Since contact with les/bi/gay/trans organizations off-campus can be extremely valuable to students, it is of great value for colleges and universities to encourage and support such interaction.
Additional resources for organizational development, support, and independent study are listed in several appendices.
The Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian youth strongly suggests careful study of this report and implementation of all of these recommendations.
There are points in history where conditions come together to create the spark for great social change. The actions of Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery, Alabama municipal bus in 1955, signaled a new beginning in a civil rights movement that would have profound and far-reaching consequences.
Though lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered people, and gay males (hereafter referred to as les/bi/gay/trans people) had been organizing in the United States prior to the late 1960s, the incident generally credited with igniting a new wave in the struggle for les/bi/gay/trans liberation occurred at a small gay bar, the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in New York's Greenwich Village, on June 27, 1969. That Friday evening, Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine. along with seven other officers from the Public Morals Section of the First Division of the New York City Police Department, raided and attempted to shut down the Stonewall, which was frequented by gay street people, drag queens, students, and others. Police raids on gay bars in that city and others throughout the U.S. were common practice, and tonight the officers entered with allegations that the owners were selling alcohol without a license. While patrons usually accommodated the officials, this evening was different: fed up with their ongoing mistreatment, the patrons fought back. Neighborhood residents quickly joined the fray, flinging bottles and rocks at police in riots lasting for three nights.
Out of the ashes of the Stonewall Inn rose a number of groups, forming a new and highly visible movement for social change. Varying in form and intensity to this very day, the movement has influenced an entire generation's view of les/bi/gay/trans people in contemporary society.
The response of the Stonewall patrons did not occur in a vacuum, but reflected a number of other forces working within the society at the time. The 1960s was a decade of tumultuous social change, with growing numbers of people challenging basic assumptions concerning authority and power relationships. Both on and off the college campuses in the U.S. and worldwide, people joined together in greater numbers than ever before to press for advances in human and civil rights for students, people of color, women, people with disabilities, and others. People increasingly challenged the serious inequities they saw in the distribution of resources and treatment of people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Conventional notions of gender were called into question, and there was growing concern over the dangerous and potentially irreversible attacks on the global environment, as well as a potentially unwarranted and illegal incursion into Indochina.
An important emergence from this environment was the efforts of les/bi/gay/trans students and staff on college and university campuses throughout this country and across the globe. The first les/bi/gay/trans student group was chartered at Columbia University in New York City in 1967. Named the Student Homophile League, it created quite a stir on campus and received a great deal of media coverage. This publicity spurred the formation of similar groups at Cornell University, New York University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and elsewhere.
Relatively few active members were initially involved, and groups were politically weak, but the seeds had been planted, and a fledgling les/bi/gay/trans student movement was underway. In 1971, there were over one hundred and fifty college student groups in the United States. Each group had a different focus and a distinctive name based on its location or political agenda. Some examples are the Gay Liberation Front at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana; HOPS (Homophiles of Pennsylvania State), FREE (Fight Repression of Erotic Expression) at the University of Minnesota, GROPE (Gay Rights of People Everywhere) at Jersey City State College, and RAGE (Rutgers Activists for Gay Education). Some went by the names Gay Activists Alliance, Gay Women's Coalition, Radicalesbians, or names with special significance to the individual group. While some focused on political issues, others concentrated primarily on social concerns.
In addition to the nationwide rise of student groups, other "firsts" included an "out" student body president, Jack Baker, in 1970 at the University of Minnesota, and in 1971 the University of Michigan was one of the first institutions to hire counselors, Cynthia Gair and Jim Toy, specializing in serving the counseling needs of les/bi/gay/trans students. Also, after an emotional and heated battle, Columbia University in 1971 set aside the first dormitory lounge for les/bi/gay/trans students. In 1973, the first college faculty group (the Gay Academic Union) was formed in New York City.
Other early les/bi/gay/trans student activities were parties and dances, coffee houses, telephone hotlines, published newsletters, study groups and courses throughout the U.S. Speakers bureaus provided trained speakers to lead discussions on homosexuality on college campuses.
At its 24th Annual Conference held in Fort Collins, Colorado in June 1971, the National Student Association passed a resolution proposed by Warren Blumenfeld establishing a new project, the National Gay Student Center, which was to become the first gay or lesbian organization with a national scope. The resolution declared that the center be "staffed by gay people who were chosen by gay people and responsible to gay people on campuses throughout the nation."
By the mid-1970's, lesbians, bisexuals, gays, and transsexuals constituted a bona fide and legitimate minority on several college and university campuses, having much in common with other disenfranchised groups. Unlike these other groups which already had a sense of history and community, however, the les/bi/gay/trans minority was constructing a self-identity and experiencing an above-ground and visible community for the first time.
Over the years, this increased visibility has brought with it a number of obstacles for les/bi/gay/trans college and university students. There exists an "acid rain" of homophobia and heterosexism that falls upon the nation, one which has filtered into our colleges and universities, and les/bi/gay/trans people are still among the most despised and stigmatized groups in the United States today. The lives of some are tarnished to the core, those of others are marred on the surface, and no one is completely protected.[1]
At American colleges and universities, homophobia and heterosexism collude to compromise the learning environment, hurting all, without regard to sexual orientation or identity.[2]
Young people who are merely perceived as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or who are actually "out" are often the target of verbal or physical abuse from peers and even family members. According to the U.S. Department of Justice: "The most frequent victims of hate violence today are blacks, Hispanics, Southeast
Asians, Jews, and gays and lesbians. Homosexuals are probably the most frequent victims."[3] A National Gay and Lesbian Task Force survey of over 2000 people found that 90 % have experienced some form of victimization on account of their perceived or actual sexual orientation. More than one in 10 has been threatened directly with violence:
More than one in five males and nearly one in ten females say they were punched, hit, kicked, or beaten, and approximately the same ratios suffered some form of police abuse. Assaults with weapons are reported by one in ten males and one in twenty females. Many of those who report having been harassed or assaulted further state that incidents occurred multiple times. [4]
Victimization was reported to have occurred at home, in schools, and at other community sites. 45% of the males and 25% of the females have been harassed or attacked in high school or junior high school because they were perceived as lesbian or gay. Approximately 1/3 of the 2000 respondents were assaulted verbally, while more than one in fifteen was physically abused by members of their own family. These figures are substantially higher for young people who are open about their sexual orientation while still living at home.
Of the 7.248 incidents of anti-les/bi/gay/trans harassment and violence in one year reported to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 19% occurred on college campuses.[5]
The University of Massachusetts Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs surveyed 445 gay, lesbian, and bisexual students in its "The Consequences of Being Gay: A Report on the Quality of Life of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst", and 44.6% of respondents reported being victims of verbal threats or harassment on the University of Massachusetts campus, 21.1% have been victims of physical confrontation or assault, 21.1% have been sexually threatened or harassed, 13.3% believe they were pressured into leaving housing due to their sexual orientation, 50% were harassed by roommates, 33% had personal property damaged or destroyed, and 29.3% have been threatened with "exposure" of their sexual orientation to someone who did not know. In addition, though 77. 1% of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals indicated they knew that harassment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation are prohibited at UMass/Amherst, 68.9% report they would not go or would not go again to the Campus Police and 70.1% to the Amherst police, if they were victims of harassment or discrimination for fear of exposure or further victimization.[6]
For each and every lesbian and gay person who deals with coming out, that is a major crisis. What each individual faces is loss of parental support, both emotional and financial, loss of friends, loss of life, loss of all these things that we take for granted up until that moment when we're confronted with having to do something. So, for each and every individual lesbian and gay man or bisexual person who has to make that decision (do I say something, don't I say something, do I come out, don't I come out) that represents a major crisis that each and every person goes through to a large extent alone.[7]
Instances of harassment and violence on the basis of sexual orientation on Massachusetts college and university campuses include:
A relatively recent tactic used in the backlash opposing les/bi/gay/trans campus visibility is the so-called "heterosexual pride" strategy.
At Harvard University, for example, during the fourth annual Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Studies Conference, the conservative students' group Association Against Learning in the Absence of Religion and Morality (AALARM) plastered the campus with posters and chalked blue squares on sidewalks and building, which delegates to the conference interpreted as a hostile reaction to the pink triangle. AALARM members reportedly chose the blue square as the four-sided symbol meant to refer to the "traditional values" of faith, family, country, and community and was not, they asserted, anti-gay or anti-homosexuality but rather was "proheterosexuality."
Two years prior to the Harvard conference, the blue squares appeared at Mt. Holyoke College as part of a "Heterosexual Pride" week sponsored by editors of the ultra-conservative publication Subterranean, and at Wellesley College blue circles appeared as anti-gay symbols about the same time.
At the University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, the conservative student group, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), sponsored a "Straight-Pride Rally, April 24, 1990. From a podium, YAF leaders waved Bibles and American flags and shouted vitriolic denouncements of lesbian, gays, and bisexuals. Following the rally, between 10 and 15 students, who were said to be associated with YAF, barged into an anthropology class during a showing of "The Times of Harvey Milk," a film documenting the life and brutal assassination of San Francisco's first openly gay city supervisor. Later, in fall 1990, students formed the "Heterosexual Club" on campus. The group submitted the necessary 120 signatures to the Student Life Office and was approved as an officially recognized organization by the Student Senate.
Throughout the 1970s , and into the `90s, administrators and trustees on numerous campuses denied official recognition to les/bi/gay/trans student groups and/or withheld student body funds traditionally set aside for campus-wide groups. The firstinstances occurred in California in 1970 when Glen Dumke, Chancellor of the California State College system, gave the following reasons for denying recognition to campus chapters of the Gay Liberation Front at Sacramento and San Jose State Colleges:
Members of the Gay Liberation Front chapter at Sacramento State College, represented by the student government, sued the chancellor of the State College system in Sacramento County Superior Court. The court upheld the Associated Students' contention that "...to justify suppression of free speech there must be reasonable grounds to fear that serious evil will result if free speech is practiced; there must be reasonable ground to believe that the danger apprehended is imminent."
A sampling of campuses where les/bi/gay/trans student groups have in the past been denied official recognition include:
|
University of Southern California Sacramento State University University of New Hampshire Virginia Commonwealth University Texas A & M University Tulane University University of Maryland Florida State University Colorado College University of Tennessee University of Alabama Boston College California Polytechnic University of Texas at Austin |
San Jose State University University of South Carolina University of Washington Austin Peay State University University of Southern Mississippi Polk Community College Pennsylvania State University University of Oklahoma at Norman West Virginia University, Morgantown University of Missouri at Columbia Georgetown University California State College at Fullerton College of the Sequoias, Visalia University of Kansas at Lawrence |
and Natal University in Durban, South Africa. | |
Controversy continues now at Auburn University in Alabama, where the campus wide student governing board rejected an application for official campus recognition by members of the Auburn Gay and Lesbian Association, claiming that to sanction the group, the governing board would, in effect, be condoning as well as providing campus funds to a lifestyle that many find morally reprehensible. Amid the threat of a law suit by the Alabama Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the les/bi/gay/trans students, the University administration over stepped the student governing board and approved the application. Auburn University student leaders then initiated a petition drive that garnered over 15,000 signatures demanding that University Trustees terminate the group's current legal status. See APPENDIX A for suggestions for dealing with difficulty in obtaining recognition.
While adolescence can be an exciting time of growth and development, it is also a stage of enormous change for young people. According to B. A. Hamburg, "adolescence is clearly a critical period of development that involves the negotiations of unique biological, psychological, and social demands."[17]
The college years are a time of personal identity formation and growing independence. This is not an easy time for anyone, and heterosexuals in particular usually have social and educational structures in place to support their emerging sexual identity formation. Through the process of socialization, their feelings are validated and mirrored by their peers, by supportive adult role models including professors, and by positive portrayals in the media. School and home environments (primary places of socialization) permit them the opportunity to openly explore and rehearse behaviors necessary for the development of interpersonal skills.
The situation is often quite different for young people experiencing strong same sex attractions. The origins of sexual orientation are not completely understood, although orientation is generally believed to be established during early childhood, probably before the age of five.[18] Though some young people do come to terms fairly early with their les/bi/gay/trans orientation and have little difficulty gaining the support they need, enormous peer pressure to conform coupled with the social stigma surrounding homosexuality and lack of support systems in many quarters causes many young people to turn inward. Young gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people see and hear demeaning stereotypes and myths about homosexuals, hear derogatory epithets from peers and family members, are exposed to negative and misleading media portrayals, and find little accurate information presented in grade school and college, if not nothing at all. An initial sense of being somehow different can easily turn into self-denial of these feelings or self-hatred, resulting in isolation and withdrawal in order to keep their "hidden shame" a secret from an unaccepting world.
Poor self-esteem leads to poor academic performance, and in many cases, dropping out of college altogether. Others compulsively bury themselves in their school work or other activities. These are serious impediments to emotional and intellectual development, and many have their youth virtually robbed from them.
Though more and more college and university professors and instructors are incorporating material relevant to the les/bi/gay/trans experience into established courses and developing courses specifically in the field of les/bi/gay/trans studies, still relatively little exists and that which does often excludes lesbians. On many college campuses, homophobia and sexism collude to continue lesbian invisibility. A report of the Task Group on the Special Concerns of Lesbians at Rutgers University concluded:
Lesbians are an invisible group at Rutgers. The majority (60 %) of lesbians sampled have been "treated unfairly." Lesbianism is censored in the curriculum and classroom, by department chairs and faculty, by most university publications.[19]
When students from other minority backgrounds (e.g. African-Americans, Asians, Latino/as, Jews) face instances of discrimination, they can usually find support from their families of origin, who are also likely to be members of the same racial, ethnic, or religious group. Since most les/bi/gay/trans youth are raised by heterosexuals, however, support for their sexual orientation is not automatic. Some youth are rejected by parents and guardians and become runaways (or throwaways). One study found that half the young gay males interviewed had experienced negative reactions to their sexual orientation with 26% forced to leave home.[20] Up to 40% of youthful runaways are les/bi/gay/trans.[21] Many of these youths are compelled to sell their bodies in order to live. Nearly half of all young male prostitutes are gay identified. Like other youth living on the streets, les/bi/gay/trans young people also have a high rate of substance abuse, depression, and suicide attempts.[22]
These problems are not only confined to youth living on the streets. A report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the incidence of youth suicide found:
A majority of suicide attempts by homosexuals occur during their youth, and gay youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people. They may comprise up to 30 percent of (the estimated 5,000 completed youth suicides annually.[23]
Other studies have confirmed these government findings: one study found this 30% rate amongst gay and bisexual male youth[24] , while another showed that 40% of young gay males and 39% of young lesbians had either attempted or "seriously contemplated" suicide.[25]
In addition, research has found that nearly all les/bi/gay/trans suicides occur between the ages of 16 and 21[26] and the earlier a young person is aware of same sex attractions, the greater the problems they face and the more likely they are to develop suicidal feelings and behaviors.
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association voted to eliminate homosexuality per se from its list of disordered mental conditions referring to it rather as a variation in sexual orientation. Two years later, the American Psychological Association followed suit by resolving that, "Homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, liability, or general societal or vocational capabilities," and urged psychologists "to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness long associated with homosexual orientations."[27] However, still today some clinicians hold views contrary to these written policies, and many are ill-equipped to counsel les/bi/gay/trans clients. In one study, nearly 2/3 of school guidance counselors surveyed expressed negative attitudes and feelings about homosexuality and persons. Though most of these counselors reported knowing at least one les/bi/gay/trans student, few felt prepared to work with this population.[28]
As conflicts arise over issues of sexual orientation, young people often turn to substances to reduce the pain and anxiety.
Homosexual individuals who have been forced to develop rigid defenses against social reaction to their sexual and affectional orientation may unknowingly let these same reflexes reinforce a budding dependency on alcohol.[29]
One study found that 58% of young gay males interviewed could be classified as having a substance abuse disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.[30]
Ultimately, the homophobic environment takes its toll not only on les/bi/gay/trans students, but on the heterosexual ones as well. For example, homophobia is one cause of premature sexual involvement, which increases the chances of pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Young people of all sexual identities are often pressured to become heterosexually active to prove to themselves and others that they are "normal."
If a guy goes out on a date with some girl, and his friends ask him if he scored last night, if he says no, they'd say stuff like, "Oh, you're not good enough," or, "You must be a faggot. " If it happens over and over and over, they might even think he never went out on a date with her and that he must be gay. (heterosexually identified 18-year-old young woman.)[31]I didn't ever really think about getting pregnant. I didn't do anything about it. I never used any type of birth control. I thought it would be cool to have a kid because that would mean I was definitely not gay....And I never worried about STDs. (young lesbian, age 20)[32]
In addition, homophobia/heterosexism, combined with sex phobia (fear and repulsion of sex and sexuality) results in the elimination of factual and open discourse regarding the lives and sexuality of les/bi/gay/trans people as part of college-based health and sex education, keeping vital information from all students. Paroski found in a study of adolescents that because of the lack of information in the schools, these youth learned primarily about same-sex sexuality through self-initiated exploration and personal contacts, which placed them at greater risk for STDs including HIV infection.[33]
On a growing number of campuses, les/bi/gay/trans students and heterosexual allies are organizing to increase visibility and reduce homophobia and heterosexism. Many campus, however, still do not have campus groups and where they do exist, relatively few students actually attend public events either because they have not yet come to terms with their sexual identity or because they fear negative reactions. The same is often true of faculty and staff:
The reason for the absence of substantial numbers of openly les/bi/gay/trans faculty members on most university campuses is simple. Discrimination in hiring and promotion is pervasive, even if it is also most often subtle and covert.[34]
One study confirms this conclusion. The American Sociological Association Task Force on Homosexuality sent a questionnaire to sociology department chairs throughout the United States and found: 63% responded that hiring a known homosexual would pose serious difficulties and 84% held serious reservations about hiring a gay or lesbian political activist; 48 % reported barriers to les/bi/gay/trans professors in promotions; and 65 % foresaw problems in promoting activists. Of the 640 department chairs who responded to the survey, they reported knowing only 39 lesbian or gay colleagues who are open about their sexual identity. These results come from a profession that in 1969 passed a resolution opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment. About half of the les/bi/gay/trans sociologists who took part in the survey reported obstacles to conducting research in les/bi/gay/trans studies and were advised that such research would hurt their careers.[35]
According to John D'Emilio, tenured history professor and preeminent gay researcher and writer:
A number of graduate students and junior faculty mask their interest in gay history by choosing safer topics in social history that will touch upon it--crime, delinquency, "vice," the history of medicine, sexuality. My own experience of applying for grants has proved interesting. Whenever the proposal has been specifically gay, I have been turned down; if I present my work as the history of sexuality, I have a good record of success.[36]
Homophobia and heterosexism most certainly did not originate in the colleges and universities; however, educational institutions can help lead the way to a future in which all students will be free to learn to their fullest potential, and faculty and staff can create and teach--all in a safe and supportive environment.
TO REDUCE HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE, IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES:
1. Enact policies of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in matters of hiring, tenure, promotion, admissions, and financial aid.
See APPENDIX B for samples of college policies of non-discrimination including sexual orientation.
2. Have policies and procedures for dealing with homophobic violence and harassment.
There must be clearly defined consequences for such infringements, and such discipline should be consistent with any sort of harassment or violence based on other forms of bias or hatred appropriate to each institution. Colleges and universities should record and track all such instances, reporting them to community organizations, state, and federal authorities, as required by the Massachusetts Hate Crimes Statistics Act and the Federal Hate Crimes Statistics Act. Schools should ensure that all students are familiar with all of the available options, and how to follow them through to completion.
TO REDUCE INVISIBILITY ON CAMPUS:
3. Have a written, inclusive, and affirming definition of couples that is non-discriminatory towards same sex couples and in a way that is appropriate for each institution.
As the law does not allow same sex marriage in any state, schools must recognize gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees and students in same-sex relationships.
4. Ensure equal access and equality of all benefits and privileges granted to all employees and students.
Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders shall be judged as qualified to receive benefits such as, for example, bereavement leave, insurance coverage, housing, and acceptance to sports teams or student organizations using the same qualifying criteria as heterosexuals.
5. Have policies of active outreach in hiring openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and/or gay-sensitive faculty, staff, and administrators in all segments of the campus community.
Employment opportunities should be announced both campus-wide and off campus, including national gay and mainstream publications (see APPENDIX C for list of gay publications), newsletters and publications of gay and lesbian caucuses or subgroups of professional organizations, and academic journals within the appropriate discipline particularly encouraging gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders, among others, to apply (see APPENDIX C for list of gay related Journals).
6. Actively recruit openly les/bi/gay/trans prospective students.
It is important for all prospective students to realize that students of all sexual orientations will be welcomed and valued members of the campus community. The college can demonstrate this by publishing positive images of same-sex couples in recruiting materials, course catalogs, student handbooks, and other public relations materials.
While many student groups have new students "come up through the ranks" to lead student organizations in their senior years, many gays, lesbians, trangenders, and bisexuals don't come to an understanding and appreciation of their sexual identity until their last days in college. Besides resulting in a scarcity of potential leadership, high turnover rate, lack of continuity, and other organizational difficulties in les/bi/gay/trans student groups, this causes a lack of a les/bi/gay/trans presence on the campus to educate others and provide for the "more recently out" les/bi/gay/trans students. The presence of students who are secure with their sexuality from day one is far more conducive to community building and leadership. See APPENDIX A for a list of familiar problems affecting les/bi/gay/trans student groups and helpful suggestions for overcoming them.
ALL OF THE ABOVE POLICIES MUST BE WRITTEN, CLEAR, CONSISTENT, ACCESSIBLE, AND WELL-PUBLICIZED THROUGHOUT THE COLLEGE CAMPUS.
TO TRAIN, INFORM, AND EDUCATE THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY:
1. Homophobia workshops and other educational methods should be implemented for the entire campus community to sensitize and educate staff, faculty, and administrators.
This school-wide professional development effort can be implemented by outside professional consultants or school personnel specially trained in anti-homophobia workshop facilitation and with access to related educational materials.
Those trained should include, but not be limited to:
This training should include both an adjective component, dealing with our emotional responses to gays, lesbians, transgenders, and bisexuals, and a cognitive component, with factual information. These components should involve participants' early learning about lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people, basic terminology, and a discussion of the ways in which homophobia affects all people regardless of sexual orientation. There must be a long-term commitment on the part of educational institutions to such training, follow-up activities, and the provision of resources for independent work. This education can be included within existing multicultural diversity trainings.[37]
TO HELP REDUCE HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OFSTUDENTS:
1. Physically safe, secure, and appropriate space with a welcoming, emotionally safe atmosphere should be available to such organizations for meetings, social events, coffeehouses, lectures, fore, workshops, and other events.
See APPENDIX A for suggestions regarding the creation and development of campus gay organizations, as well as suggestions for overcoming potential roadblocks in the process.
2. Legal and fundraising support services should be available to les/bi/gay/trans students.
Legal and fundraising resources, such as development office staff, assistance, equipment, and lists should be made available to the les/bi/ gay/trans community.
3. Campus housing should include les/bi/trans/gay-sensitive living options.
Whether it be a gay house, a section, floor, or suite of a dormitory, or housing for same-sex couples granted without a double standard (heterosexual bias).
4. University leadership should make strong, clear, public statements on a regular basis which state the college's commitment to ending discrimination, conviction that violence and harassment are entirely unacceptable, and appreciation of the value of diversity on campus, including diversity of sexual orientation.
TO PROVIDE FOR THE HEALTH AND COUNSELING NEEDS OF THE STUDENT POPULATION, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT:
5. Colleges and universities hire openly gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender or
gay-sensitive therapists/counselors, faculty, staff, and
administrators.
6. Peer counselors and/or campus crisis hotline volunteers be adequately
trained in sensitivity to sexuality, sexual orientation and "coming out"
issues.
Institutions should make every effort to obtain openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender counselors and other volunteers.
7. Effective AIDS education, imperative for all people of all sexual orientations, must be available and widespread.
TO HELP DEAL WITH ISOLATION AND SOCIAL NEEDS, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT:
8. Colleges and universities provide official recognition, support, and funding of campus gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender student organizations.
Activities covered by such funding could include, but not be limited to, social events, speakers, workshops, publicity, subscriptions, books, films, self-defense workshops, flyers, advertisements, newsletters, buttons, clerical supplies, journal publication, AIDS awareness materials and condoms, organizational membership dues, and alumni receptions. Space should be provided on campus for local les/bi/gay/trans community and activist groups.
Such interaction would be beneficial for all involved and strengthen the gay community as a whole. Particularly in Western Massachusetts and other less populated areas, having those who are more mobile come to where students are located may provide opportunities for active involvement as well as positive role models.
9. Social activities through residence halls, Offices of Student Activities, and other organizations be not only inclusive of all sexual orientations and lifestyles, without pressures toward heterosexuality, but actively welcoming towards gay/les/bi/trans individuals as well as same-sex couples.
Many common traditional events (the "Screw your roommate dance", "Secret Santas", and the-fraternity/sorority "mixer") are heterose cually and exclusively oriented. Wording such as "same-sex couples welcome and encouraged to attend" on, for example, a flyer announcing a dance, can easily accomplish this.
10. College and university presidents have a standing advisory committee, panel, or board, appointed or elected in consultation with les/bi/gay/trans students, staff, and faculty members.
The function of this panel should be to study gay/les/trans/bi life on campus, assess the needs of the campus les/bi/gay/trans population, advise the president regarding gay issues and/or the implementation of appropriate changes, oversee the changes themselves, or other duties as the president sees fit.
11. Student opinion should be assessed regularly, by the above mentioned
panel or in some other manner, in order to gauge the effectiveness of
implemented changes.
12. Campus publications should take care to provide adequate and fair
coverage of les/bi/gay events and issues, both on and off campus.
A regular column written by a les/bi/gay/trans student is one way to assure the representation of different perspectives and opinions, as is frequent contact by campus publications of gay campus or community organizations and/or the gay press (see APPENDIX C).
13. Colleges and universities should aid students in alumni outreach.
Fundraising, advocacy, internships, mentoring, and networking can all be accomplished through the development of an alumni organization, and graduates can become role models for current students, and increase continuity by passing on the group's history, experiences, and knowledge.
14. Internship opportunities may also be cultivated among local gay-owned
businesses and gay activist and community service organizations.
15. The diversity within the les/bi/gay/trans community should be recognized
and affirmed.
Events of particular interest to, and primarily for, regularly marginalized groups such as people of color and women within the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community should be an integral part of any les/bi/gay/trans organization's programming. Those who have privilege and advantages not enjoyed by others based on race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, political affiliation, religion, or otherwise should educate themselves as to the reality of the diverse world around us, be aware of this in their actions and interactions, and make their own communities multicultural and inclusive. Likewise, other segments of the campus community should include the contributions and historical realities of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders to their respective communities.[38] Colleges and universities should ensure that all publicity, announcements, outreach, employment recruiting, and admissions materials are inclusive in portraying the reality of the diverse campus community.
16. The location and availability of resources of value to gays, lesbians, transgender people, and bisexuals should be published in materials distributed to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
This information should be distributed during orientation, throughout students' college careers, and publicized widely in available media. These resources should include gay/les/bi/trans student organizations, alumni organizations, resource personnel, the counseling/mental health center, any official who is part of the grievance procedure process and available for advice and counseling after harassment or violence, les/bi/gay/trans religious organizations, les/bi/gay/trans newspapers and other publications, social clubs, and activist groups.
See APPENDIX D for lists of Massachusetts and national resources.
17. Personnel at the Career Planning/Placement Center, like personnel in
every college area, must be sensitive to gay issues and be aware of employment
opportunities in gay owned or gay-friendly businesses and gay community service
organizatlons.
18. While needs differ greatly at each of the hundreds of institutions of
higher education in Massachusetts, it seems clear that for many, if not most,
the most critically important and invaluable resource is a gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender community resource center, with a paid administrator,
staff, and resources.
Such a center would provide administrative resources, social and cultural "safe space", health information, educational outreach, referrals to needed resources, a library of les/bi/gay/trans books, newspapers, and magazines, and other resources. The administrator can provide counseling to students, staff, and faculty, coordinate events if there is more than one gay student organization on campus, and provide training and sensitivity workshops for students, residential staff, and faculty. An administrator can advocate on behalf of the students, and help the campus implement many of the aforementioned recommendations in the most efficient and effective ways possible. Events, speakers, lectures, and support groups can all be organized out of the resource center. Besides providing a visible gay presence on campus, with all of the validity and legitimacy granted any other university-funded and chartered administrative office, the administrator can take the burden of educating others and working to end harassment from the ground up off the backs of students, who can then focus more on building community, as well as, most importantly, putting more time and energy into their studies. With a gay resource center in place, student organizers will burn out less, be more productive in their organizing activities, and greater continuity for the student groups will be established.
19. In institutions where financial resources do not allow for centers and/or administrative support for any minorities, then there should at least be an ombudsperson or other official clearly recognized, identified, and publicized as an official liaison to the campus lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
1. Issues relating to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people
should be formally and permanently integrated into existing courses across the
curriculum.
2. Speakers on les/bi/gay/trans topics, and particularly those who present
scholarly research on gay topics, should be brought to campus regularly.
3. Courses dealing specifically with gay issues in the humanities, natural
sciences, education, social sciences, and other disciplines should be
established.
4. A visiting scholar position in gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender studies
should be created and supported on a continuing basis.
5. College and university libraries should increase their holdings of
les/bi/gay/trans books, periodicals, and computer networking systems.
See APPENDIX E for EMAIL addresses of gay computer message networks.
6. Campus facilities should be available for large regional gay studies
conferences, with administrative support provided.
7. Fellowship opportunities should be created and funded for teaching and
research of les/bi/gay/trans topics.
8. Scholarship and research into gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
history, culture, and theory should be encouraged and supported in faculty and
students.
9. All multicultural education should be inclusive of the issues, history,
culture, and experience of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders in the
United States and worldwide. Multicultural awareness courses, such as the
prototype course at Columbia University, should be mandatory for all students
at some point during the undergraduate years, preferably as early on as
possible.
10. An archive and history of the les/bi/gay/trans organization on campus
should be created.
The presence or absence of gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual staff and faculty who are safe, comfortable, treated with respect by others, and open about their own lives has a direct effect on the students they teach or support. Young people need role models with whom they can identify, and need to see people like them who are satisfied with their lives and work if they are to have hope for the future. Besides the obvious need for justice and equality for all people, it is imperative that gay and lesbian employees at an institution of higher learning be treated in a manner equal to their heterosexual counterparts.
1. Policies regarding equal benefits and non-discrimination should be made
clear in recruiting brochures, informational materials, campus publications,
and orientation sessions.
2. The university should aid, support, and fund the creation of
les/bi/gay/trans faculty and staff discussion, support, and networking
groups.
3. Trade unions and professional organizations should have inclusive
policies and supportive services available to their members.
4. There should be equality in all benefits, including, for example:
5. There should be ongoing, regular sensitivity training for all employees. There should be ongoing staff development, as with the paying of expenses for conferences, etc.
1. Community les/bi/gay/trans groups should be invited to attend
campus events as participants, guests, and event leaders and
facilitators.
2. Information regarding social, religious, and other community resources
should be made easily accessible to all students, staff, faculty, and
administrators.
3. Counselors, administrators, and faculty should be available to parents or
other community members to alleviate any concern which may arise out of the
implementation of any of the above recommendations, as well as any concerns
arising during their child's coming out process, if that is the case.
4. Representatives of les/bi/gay/trans student groups from different schools
should meet regularly to keep each other appraised of upcoming events, plan
events together, and strengthen the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
community.
5. Publications, fundraising materials, and all other publications
distributed to parents and alumni should include relevant and appropriate
stories, essays, and news regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
issues, organizations, and events.
6. Corporations, public agencies, and government, religious, and community
agencies and institutions which do not have official written policies against
discrimination based on sexual orientation should be strongly discouraged or
prohibited from on campus employment or enlistment recruiting.
Creating an Organization
Forming a les/bi/gay/trans student organization is not too different from forming any organization, except that in some cases this effort will be met with an inordinate amount of fear and prejudice. How this resistance is dealt with will vary from campus to campus. The logistical aspect of the creation of a student organization involves the following steps:
Recognition. Registration. and Funding for Student Organizations
Several campus gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual organizations have been denied recognition by university administrations. Some have argued that recognition of a gay and lesbian organization could be construed as official encouragement to break the sodomy laws of the state. Such denial of recognition may be in violation of the law.
In the majority of "recognition" court cases, judges have found that the refusal to recognize a group is a violation of associational rights. To paraphrase the judicial opinions, universities may not:
Courts have ruled in most cases that these three tests of the recognition case (rights of association, parens patriae, and absolute certainty of criminal actions following association) can be applied to most Campus Group v. University lawsuits. There are several precedents, listed below, which favor gay and lesbian groups in matters of recognition; in fact, it seems that the only time a university can rightfully refuse recognition is when the group intends to restrict membership, use violence, or otherwise clearly demonstrate an intent to incite a criminal action.
If your university administration or student government is withholding recognition from your group, legal advice should be sought immediately. It might also be helpful to ask for assistance, resources. and advice from local community political or activist groups.
Supporting Cases: Student Group Recognition
Healey v. James
408 U.S. 169, 183 (1972)
Affirmed First Amendment Rights of association of gay students.
Bates v. City of Little Rock
361 U.S. 516, 523 (1960)
Government can not stifle First Amendment Rights by "more subtle influences".
National Socialist White Workers Party v. Ringers
473 F. 2d 1010, 1015 (4th Cir. 1973)
State approval or support of policies of a group are not needed.
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
393 U.S. 503 (1969)
School is forbidden to usurp student's right to choose. School must surrender
responsibility or right of parens patriae (or away from homeparenting).
Brandenburg v. Ohio
395 U.S. 44 (1969)
Affirmed right of gay men and lesbians to meet, discuss, and advocate change in the status quo as long as there is no incitement to imminent lawless action.
Robinson v. California
370 U.S. 660 (1970)
It is not illegal to be a homosexual even in a state with sodomy law statutes.
Police Department of the City of Chicago v. Mosley
408 U.S. 92 (1972)
Discriminatory practices must be tailored to serve a substantial government interest.
Norman Gay Alliance for Sexual Freedom v. Oklahoma U. Board of Regents
No. C-72-246 (Oklahoma District Court, Cleveland County 1972)
Gay Student Organizations of the University of New Hampshire v. Bonner
509 F. 2d 652 (1st Cir. 1974)
"Undifferentiated fear or apprehension of illegal conduct is not enough to overcome First Amendment Rights, and speculation that individuals might at some time engage in illegal activity is insufficient to justify regulation by the state."
Good v. Associated Students of the University of Washington
(86 Wash. 2d 94, 105, 542, P. 2d 762, 768-9 1975)
Gay Alliance of Students v. Matthews (Virginia Commonwealth University)
544 F. 2d 162 (4th Cir. 1976)
"The very essence of the First Amendment is that each individual makes his own decision as to whether joining an organization would be harmful to him, and whether any countervailing benefits outweigh the potential harm."
Gay Lib v. University of Missouri
558 F. 2d 848 (8th Cir. 1977)
"insuffcient to justify a governmental prior restraint on the right of a group of students to associate for the purposes (of promoting dialogue and understanding of homosexuality)."
Student Coalition for Gay Rights v. Austin Peay State University
477 F. Supp. 1267 (M.D. Tenn. 1979)
Gay Activist Alliance v. Oklahoma University Board of Regents
No. C-77-162W (Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma 1981)
Gay Student Organization v. University of South Carolina
(U.S. District Court #82-3080-0 1982)
Gay Student Services v. Texas A & M University
737 F. 2d 1317 (5th Cir. 1984) cert. denied No. 84-724, 53 U.S.L.W. 3697 (S. Ct. 4t2/85)
"...there is no evidence that any illegal activity has taken place as a result of GSS' existence in the past, nor is there any evidence that GSS is an organization devoted to advocacy or incitement of imminent illegal, specifically proscribed homosexual activity."
Papish v. Board of Curators of the University of Missouri
140 U.S. 667 (1973)
University of Southern Mississippi MCLU v. University of Southern Mississippi
452 F. 2d 564 (5th Cir. 1971)
Tulane University Gay Students v. Longnecker
Polk Community Gay Coalition v. Polk Community College
(1981)
Gay Student Alliance v. Board of Regents of the University of Maryland
(Maryland Supreme Court)
Homophiles of Pennsylvania State University v. Pennsylvania State University
(settled out of court)
Familiar Problems Affecting Les/bi/Gav/Trans Student Organizations
Lack of Gender Parity
The following suggestions may be used to alleviate this problem common to many les/bi/gay/trans student groups:
Lack of New Members
Most groups have no problem getting new people to attend meetings, but do have difficulty retaining newer members. Organizations must be particularly sensitive to new people, whose attendance at a meeting may be their first public "coming out". Those who sit alone in a corner, don't feel welcome, aren't invited to share their thoughts, and are mostly ignored are not likely to return. While it is difficult for most people to introduce themselves to strangers, it may be nearly impossible for a new member to do so.
Some organizations have set up welcoming committees to greet new people as they enter. A new duo of "welcomers" can be appointed each month, and can introduce new members around, explain the group's activities and policies, and encourage them to express their ideas during meetings. They can sit with newcomers during the meeting to answer questions and explain details, and invite members to a favorite gathering place after the meeting if this is the group's usual custom. Nurturing new members can both provide more support at a time when it is probably greatly needed, and also foster an increase in membership. Care should be taken not to give off an "ingroup / outgroup" attitude between newer and more established members, and not to have a condescending or patronizing manner towards those who are simply at a different point in the coming out process.
Apathy and Burnout
All volunteer and nonprofit organizations experience organizational difficulties. Some members will never really become involved in the day-to-day business of the organization; most of the work will be left to a handful of students who take on a large workload and often become overwhelmed and burned out. These students would do a service to themselves, and the group as well, by learning to say the two words "nor and "help".
Students will be surprised to learn that many students are uninvolved simply because they were never asked, and are glad to pitch in when another has too much to do alone. Also, when new projects come along, the less involved usually assume that "the clique" would rather do it all themselves, as usual. So by asking for help, students not only alleviate the pressure on themselves, but can stop this cycle of misperception and foster greater involvement and feelings of investment in the group as well.
It can also be valuable for hardworking students to understand that they are doing little for the group if they work furiously for a short while, only to drop out altogether later. Even if the group must take on fewer projects or entirely eliminate a few, an organization with slower growth and fuller membership participation will be healthier in the long run.
WHEATON COLLEGE:
"The Wheaton College Community has long held, and continues to hold, the position that basic rights, including the right to sexual orientation, must and will be extended to all members of the community. The issue for the College is not that gays and lesbians are part of the community, but rather that they may choose to become a visible and vocal part of the community. Sexual orientation is a private matter and not an issue unless other people make it one. Acting upon this position involves eradicating certain misconceptions as well as espousing certain assertions.
First, the Wheaton community and those concerned with its welfare must not confuse the demands of lesbians and gays for their human rights with proselytizing and sexual aggression. The College has a responsibility to protect students from all forms of sexual aggression, both heterosexual and homosexual; it also has a responsibility to respond positively when members of the community request to participate fully and openly in the life of the community.
Second, requests that lesbians and gays be recognized as complete human beings cannot be equated with advocacy that everyone should be gay or lesbian. The confusion of these two very different ideas often leads to an unnecessary defensiveness on the part of heterosexuals.
Third, the visibility of gay and lesbian staff, faculty, and students also raises the important issues of role modeling and professional competence. Role modeling-and professional competence are not affected by sexual orientation any more than they are by any other personal characteristic such as race, sex, or handicap. Rather, the chance for students to get to know adults who are handling difficult jobs effectively and fairly, as well as other students like themselves, can be an important part of the educational process.
Fourth, the College asserts that a person's sexual orientation should not be a criterion in employment decisions; rather, demonstrated competence must be the major criterion.
Fifth, the College asserts that lesbian and gay students and staff are entitled to an environment which is non-oppressive. Harassment based on sexual orientation is not acceptable and will be addressed through appropriate administrative action as well as educational programming.
The College's support of gay and lesbian students and staff reflects its belief that Wheaton must accept and integrate the world's diverse population into its educational community in ways that are responsible both to the College and the world."
BABSON COLLEGE:
"Babson College does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, age, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or handicap in student admission, educational, or other college-administered activities, or employment."
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY:
"It is the policy of Columbia University, in employment, admissions, administration of its educational policies, scholarship, and athletic and other University-administered programs, not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, religion, or handicap."
CORNELL UNIVERSITY:
The University has had a statement of student rights since February 1971 (!) which includes a statement of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation in the areas of students' rights to study, speak, associate, listen, as well as regarding private records, private quarters, and procedural due process.
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology admits students of any race, color, sex, religion, or national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, handicap, age, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan program, or athletic and other Institute-administered programs and activities.
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY:
"New York University is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every respect of its relations with its faculty, students, and staff members, without regard to sex, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or handicap."
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW:
"Northeastern University School of Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, or against otherwise qualified handicapped students in its admission policies, academic, and other standards."
OHIO UNIVERSITY:
In 1979, the provost circulated a memo to the Vice Presidents and members of the Council of Deans saying, "Ohio University is committed to equitable treatment of all members of the University community. This commitment is grounded in our dedication to educational justice and the promise of each individual. Ohio University joins many of its colleague universities in affirming a policy of non-discrimination in regard to individual sexual orientation.
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY:
The University Board of Governors broadened the university's affirmative action regulations to include barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.
SMITH COLLEGE:
"In addition to meeting fully its obligations of non-discrimination under federal and Massachusetts state law, [Smith] college is committed to creating a community in which a diverse student population can live and work in an atmosphere of tolerance, civility, and respect for the rights and sensibilities of each individual, regardless of economic status, ethnic background, political views, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics and beliefs.
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK:
"Attitudes, practices, and preferences of individuals that are essentially personal in nature, such as private expression or sexual orientation, are unrelated to performance and provide no basis for judgement. The Board of Trustees expects all State University campuses to take appropriate action to implement this policy of fair treatment."
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY:
"The sexual orientation of students, faculty, or staff is not the business of Syracuse University. Therefore, no discrimination on that basis shall be practiced by Syracuse University. This covers, but is not limited to, admission and any benefit of such admission of students; and the employment, retention, and promotion of faculty and staff."
TUFTS UNIVERSITY (Explicitly for the undergraduate college ONLY):
"It is the policy of Tufts University that educational and employment decisions made by it should be based on the principle of equal opportunity. The consideration of such factors as sex, race, color, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, veterans status, or handicap unrelated to a person's ability, qualifications, and performance is inconsistent with this policy."
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA:
In June 1983, the Board of Regents adopted the following policy: "The University of California shall not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in any of its policies, procedures, or practices. Current students and employees of the University shall be notified promptly of the adoption of this policy. To ensure notification of future students and employees, any future statements of the University's policies in relation to non-discrimination shall list sexual orientation whenever those statements enumerate such characteristics as race or sex."
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT:
"It is the policy of the University of Connecticut to provide equal opportunity in its employment activities, classified and non-classified, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, or national origin."
WILLIAMS COLLEGE:
"Williams College admits men and women of any background to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the College. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other College-administered programs.
American Psychological Association. ''Minutes of the Council of Representatives". American Psychologist. 30, 1975.
American Sociological Association. "Task Group on Homosexuality Report Published," ASA Footnotes 10, December 1982: 1.
Bidwell, R.J. "The Gay and Lesbian Teen: A Case of Denied Adolescence". Journal of Pediatric Care, 2(10), 1988.
Blumenfeld, Warren J. ed. Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price. (Boston: Beacon Press) 1992.
D'Emilio, John. Making Trouble: Essays on Gay History. Politics. and the University. (New York: Routledge) 1992.
Finn, P. and McNeil, T. "The Response of the Criminal Justice System to Bias Crime: An
Exploratory Review". (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice) 1987.
Gibson, Paul. "Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide", in Report of the Secretary's Task Force _n Youth Suicide. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) 1989.
Harvard Law Review Association. Sexual Orientation and the Law. (Cambridge; Harvard University Press) 1990.
Hamburg, B.A.. "Early Adolescence: A Specific and Stressful Stage of the Life Cycle", in G.V. Coelho, D.A. Hamburg, and J.E. Adams, eds.. Coping and Adaptation. (New York: Basic Books) 1974.
Jay, K. and Young, A, The Gay Report: Lesbians and Gay men Speak Out About Their Sexual Experiences and Lifestyles. (New York: Summit) 1977.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "National Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization Report". (New York) 1984.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. "Anti-Gay/Lesbian Violence, Victimization & Defamation in 1988". (Washington, D.C.) 1988.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. Anti-Gay/Lesbian Violence, Victimization, and Defamation in 1991". (Washington, D.C.) 1991.
Paroski, R. "Health Care Delivery and the Concerns of Gay and Lesbian Adolescents". Journal of Adolescent Health Care 8, 1987.
Pollak, Michael. "Male Homosexuality", in Phillippe Aries and Andre Bejin, eds., Western Sexuality. (New York: Blackwell) 1985.
Remafedi, G. "Male Homosexuality: The Adolescent's Perspective". Adolescent Health Program, University of Minnesota: unpublished, 1985.
Remafedi, G., Farrow, J., and Deisher, R. "Risk Factors for Attempted Suicide in Gay and Bisexual Youth", in Pediatrics, 87(6), 1991.
Rutgers University Office of Student Life Policy and Services. "In Every Classroom: The Report of the President's Select Committee for Lesbian and Gay Concerns," (New Brunswick, New Jersey) 1989.
Sears, James. "Attitudes, Experiences, and Feelings of Guidance Counselors about Working with Homosexual Students". Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, 1988, ERIC Document No. 296210.
Shills, Randy. Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk. (New York: St. Martin's Press) 1982.
The Daily Free Press, Boston University, Sept. 14, 1989.
Yates, G.L., MacKenzie, R., and Pennbridge, J. "A Risk Profile Comparison of Runaway and Non-Runaway Youths. American Journal of Public Health, 78, 1988.
Yeskel, Felice. "The Consequences of Being Gay: A Report on the Quality of Life for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst". (Amherst, MA: UMASS Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs) 1985.
Ziebold, T. "Alcoholism and Recovery: Gays Helping Gays". Christopher Street, January 1979.
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