2008 Woodie Awards
Queer Student Alliance
Catherine Roberts
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Life
- Page 1 of 2 next >
"Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning students comprise 4.5 percent of students on campus. They are one of the larger minority groups and are a huge presence." said Paula Seikel, Ph.D. and psychologist for Counseling and Testing Services at ISU who also serves as the staff advisor for the Queer Student Alliance.
Formerly recognized as LGBTSA (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Student Association), co-president and sophomore David Coneff said of the name change "not only is it is easier to say, but 'queer' is a more inclusive term covering the entire spectrum." And although "queer" is often considered a derogatory term, Coneff does not view it in such a way and said "it is a term of empowerment and has a lot of history in the political realm. It represents everyone coming together under one banner."
"Our club is here to deal with different issues concerning sexual minorities that we can address as a community. The community involves everybody, not just the school part of it. And we also do fabulous events" said QSA Chair President Chris Cook. Cook endeavors to focus on spreading the word throughout the community that a growing organization exists to support and befriend lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender people. But everyone regardless of his/her sexual orientation is welcome.
Jessica Cruz, a senior majoring in political science and QSA secretary is not a lesbian and refers to herself as "the token straight member" said that she supports and defends the rights of LGBT people and that everyone is welcome to come and show their support. "The group does not discriminate" Cruz said.
"We've seen new people at almost every meeting, though not everyone comes back on a regular basis" said sophomore and co-president David Coneff. He said also that he believes they will be able to mobilize a larger group if they emphasize that the confidentiality of members' identities will be maintained to the greatest degree possible if requested. Coneff said that he is currently working on putting together a voluntary confidentiality agreement. "We're trying to navigate some murky waters here as to how well we can protect members' privacy while still being a student club that is open to the public," he said.
Formerly recognized as LGBTSA (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Student Association), co-president and sophomore David Coneff said of the name change "not only is it is easier to say, but 'queer' is a more inclusive term covering the entire spectrum." And although "queer" is often considered a derogatory term, Coneff does not view it in such a way and said "it is a term of empowerment and has a lot of history in the political realm. It represents everyone coming together under one banner."
"Our club is here to deal with different issues concerning sexual minorities that we can address as a community. The community involves everybody, not just the school part of it. And we also do fabulous events" said QSA Chair President Chris Cook. Cook endeavors to focus on spreading the word throughout the community that a growing organization exists to support and befriend lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender people. But everyone regardless of his/her sexual orientation is welcome.
Jessica Cruz, a senior majoring in political science and QSA secretary is not a lesbian and refers to herself as "the token straight member" said that she supports and defends the rights of LGBT people and that everyone is welcome to come and show their support. "The group does not discriminate" Cruz said.
"We've seen new people at almost every meeting, though not everyone comes back on a regular basis" said sophomore and co-president David Coneff. He said also that he believes they will be able to mobilize a larger group if they emphasize that the confidentiality of members' identities will be maintained to the greatest degree possible if requested. Coneff said that he is currently working on putting together a voluntary confidentiality agreement. "We're trying to navigate some murky waters here as to how well we can protect members' privacy while still being a student club that is open to the public," he said.
Be the first to comment on this story