T he University prides itself on its diversity. It is wonderful to be able to learn with and learn from students with different backgrounds, beliefs and lifestyles. While I think the University still has a ways to go in terms of reaching true diversity, it is fascinating to look back and see how far we've come. One example of this is the formation of the Queer Student Union.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning students have been at the University since its inception, but its history as an organization is one that is relatively new.
According to the Serpentine Society Web site, LGBT presence on Grounds started in 1972 -- when Larry Cress, Carl Vogel and Max Peace put an ad out in The Cavalier Daily seeking interest in an organization called the Gay Student Union.
Starting the GSU was a daunting task. The three students were denied funding from the Student Activities Committee, which cited that funding the organization would "contravene the constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America."
Furthermore, it stated that funding an organization such as the GSU would "cast an obloquy [bring humiliation] upon our University and upon us as its citizens."
Although they met resistance, the three students kept up their efforts. They filed for appeal to the Board of Visitors, but were once again denied funding.
The GSU decided to continue on without Council funding. In the following years, they continued to hold events with money from dues.
The controversy resurfaced in 1976 when President Hereford considered removing Bob Elkins, a resident advisor, who was gay. Students joined together to protest against Hereford. The protest garnered diverse pockets of support for gay students at the University. The Black Student Alliance made a show of support by publishing a statement denouncing the potential removal of Elkins.
Ultimately, Elkins resigned as the president of the GSU on the advice of his lawyer, stating "loyalty to the RA program." He was allowed to keep his post.
Though the administration continued to refuse funding for the GSU, the organization continued to build.
In 1980, it announced the first "Gay Awareness Week," the predecessor to "Proud to Be Out Week." That same week, the Student Council voted to support the GSU and BSA.
With support from the student body, the GSU increased its presence on Grounds. It decided to host an event called "Blue Jeans Day."
The GSU encouraged students to wear blue jeans in support of gay rights.
However, some students claimed that GSU's publicity of the event was insufficient, and they had been tricked into participating.
One student mocked the event in The Cavalier Daily by posing as a gay student who claimed that he enjoyed being beaten. He asked students who supported him to "wear deodorant and brush their teeth."
There is little information about the GSU's action in the 1980s, but the group continued working to make the organization an official part of the University.
The GSU was recognized as a Contracted Independent Organization in the 1990s, and the renamed LGBTU began to push for more resources for the LGBT students at the University. In 2000, the dean of students opened an LGBT resource center for students.
Recently, new organizations for LGBT students in addition to the QSU have been formed, including Queer and Allied Activism, a political activism group, and Minority Squared, which addresses the specific concerns of gay minorities.
The history of the QSU at the University represents one battleground in the broader fight for diversity on Grounds. As groups like the Asian Student Union and the Chabad Jewish Heritage Student Association also struggle to establish themselves within the University community, we can watch this living history of diversity continue to unfold.
Source: www.uvaqueerhistory.org
Maryann's column runs bi-weekly on Tuesdays. She can be reached at maryann@cavalierdaily.com.
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