LBGT students fighting for equality

Before coming to MSU, Lauren Spencer sometimes found it difficult to be herself.

“High school is very cliquey and people aren’t as open-minded,” the social relations and policy junior said.

“But coming to MSU, because the community is so big, there are going to be people that are okay with my sexuality … I can be who I am.”

Spencer, a self-described gay woman and member of MSU’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, said the resources and student groups at MSU have made it easier for her to come out of the closet.

One of the primary resources to LBGT students at MSU is the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender Resource Center, located in Student Services.

Director Brent Bilodeau said the center focuses on education and training to raise awareness of LGBT issues.

“Our goal is to create a supportive and affirming climate and so we offer a variety of training,” Bilodeau said.

“We have found there is real power in peer-to-peer dialogue about issues of sexual identity and gender identity.”

Other groups also help promote awareness for the LGBT community.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Faculty, Staff and Graduate Student Association, founded in 1992, serves as both a networking tool for MSU employees in the LBGT community and a liaison to the university administration.

Grant Littke, president of the group, said university benefits for the partners of LBGT workers in Michigan were put in jeopardy after Proposal 2 passed in 2004.

The university’s response of continuing to support its LBGT community sets an example for other institutions, Littke said.

“We’re doing well in the realm of finding ways to be supportive of LGBT faculty and staff,” Littke said.

“The constitutional climate of Michigan is making that very difficult, but the university has been a trailblazer.”

But there still is room for improvement, Bilodeau said.

“There is a myth that is based on a host of stereotypes about this population, and the reality is that we’re your brothers and sisters, we are your family and friends, coworkers and colleagues,” he said.

“We’re everywhere, and we come from every walk of life and from every diverse experience.”

For Spencer, the future of LGBT civil rights lies in drawing attention to the group’s presence in society.

“The way that acceptance will be gained is through visibility,” Spencer said.

“I’d like to see more people feeling safe and comfortable to come out.

That will let other people know that we’re a much larger group than it may seem.”

Published on Tuesday, January 15, 2008