At next Tuesday's Student Council meeting, a contracted independent organization application will be presented to the representative body on behalf of a group known as the Student Alliance for Sexual Healing, or SASH. This recently formed organization's mission is to facilitate "the quiet, confidential healing gathering of the minority of people who want to actively change their same sex attraction," according to an email sent by the organization's leadership to first-year College student Joe Leonard. This goal is rather ludicrous in light of a 2009 report by the American Psychological Association that concluded "it is unlikely that individuals will be able to reduce same-sex sexual attractions or increase other-sex attractions through [sexual orientation change efforts]." It also is potentially nefarious since it could push some students to suppress their sexual identities in a way that will cause them personal anguish.
If the group pledges to avoid advocating against homosexuality and to restrain itself from undertaking pseudoscientific exercises in "sexual healing," however, it must get Council's approval in accordance with the First Amendment rights to free speech and free association. Students should know, however, that myriad other organizations exist on Grounds that will welcome their diverse personal identities. Equally important, the University offers professional help to students struggling with the social pressures and personal uncertainties that arise during college life. With these options available to minorities and at-risk individuals in the University community, there is no reason for anyone to feel compelled to turn to a group such as SASH for help in defining his or her identity.
Despite its seemingly bizarre and short-sighted objective, SASH necessarily will become part of the expansive corps of student groups that exist at the University unless it withdraws its application for CIO status prior to Council's Tuesday meeting. This reality arises from the fact that neither Council nor the University has the authority to stifle groups with unpopular or unusual perspectives from coalescing into officially recognized entities unless they actively harm other students or violate school policies. This means there are limits to the sorts of activities in which SASH may engage since it should not be allowed to conduct psychologically threatening sex therapies or to promote discriminatory practices. There is no justification, however, for a wholesale prohibition of the group's formation if it agrees to abide by those restrictions.
That being said, students with questions or concerns about their sexuality should look elsewhere for support. Student groups such as Queer and Allied Activism, the Queer Student Union and Sigma Omicron Rho, for example, welcome members of the LGBTQ communities and empower them within the spheres of social life and student self-governance. Encouragingly, Council has recognized this fact and is seeking to connect students with these groups rather than attempting to suppress SASH. "How I'm trying to quell these fears [about SASH] is [by] being a means of communication between Queer Student Union and the students," said Aneesha Rao, Council vice president for organizations.
In addition, students facing social pressures or personal doubts regarding their sexuality can obtain assistance from Student Health's Counseling and Psychological Services. CAPS recognizes the wide array of sexual identities that exist within the University's student population, and its employees adhere to standard psychological practice by endorsing no particular form of sexuality.
"Generally speaking, I think suppressing one's sexuality rarely has positive outcomes," CAPS director Russ Federman said. Federman's approach is different from any "sexual healing" of the variety discussed by SASH that encourages students to conform to a group-defined notion of sexuality that may run counter to an individual's biological characteristics.
Ultimately, groups such as QSU, QuAA and SOR, as well as University services such as CAPS, play an invaluable role in the University community that far exceeds any contribution SASH might have if it attains CIO status. By providing students with confidence and self-awareness, these existing organizations ensure that individuals are able to express their true selves. If on the other hand student identities remained hidden or obscured, the entire University community would suffer from the loss of vibrant perspectives and multifaceted individuals.
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