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History of the GSA
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To the Editor:
In the October 22, 1991 edition of the Grizzly, a "news" article was written by a staff reporter to describe the formation of GALA. Unfortuantely, since no one in the GALA was approached about this article (not even our very accessible advisor, Dr. Oboler) there are several incorrect statements about GALA, which we would like to clarify here.
The question which seems to have roused the most controversy on campus is our desire to remain confidential. Despite what last week's article said, GALA does not wish for its members to be removed from the Student Directory. The concerns of GALA is the list of names, addresses, and telephone numbers of GALA officers in the 'Clubs and Organizatioins' sections of the Student Directory or Student Handbook. Obviously, the reason for this is clear. GALA members do not deserve even one crank phone call. One SAC member felt that GALA had a poor opinion of the entire student body. We feel we have an accurate opinion of some of the student body. It would only take one homophobic student to create serious problems for a member if he or she decided to.
How then would potential members reach GALA? Through our advisor, Dr. Regina Oboler, Sociology (x2319). But then GALA decided that perhaps channeling all students through one professor was too much. So, we asked if there were other faculty members willing to work with GALA. The response has been fantastic. We hope to have at least one professor in each department, so a student can approach whomever they are comfortable with.
Of course, if a student knows a member he or she can always approach GALA directly. Even if this is the case however, he or she may not want to approach that person. Our first (and not last) student to contact GALA felt that if anyone saw him with the GALA President, his homosexuality would "become obvious, everyone would know." Is our promise of confidentiality superfluous? Not to this student.
How can GALA promote "Coming Out" and still seek confidentiality for its members? The answer to this question is obvious to anyone who is familiar with the long and difficult process of "coming out." Coming out is not simply announcing to everyone you know that you are gay. "Coming Out" is a series of steps, during which you tell friends, teachers, parents, strangers; and during which you learn about the "gay community." But first, you must finally decide to come out to yourself. This is often the most difficult step. We encourage students who are somewhere in this process to join GALA. At the very least, GALA provides students with a friendly and accepting ear, guranteed. Should these students deny themselves a friend, merely because they have no discrete way to approach GALA? Absolutely not!
Many people have asked, "isn't GALA being paranoid?" We GALA members who have been "out" on campus do not think so. Have you ever heard someone scream "FAG" at you each day in Wismer? Have you had "no more homos" written on your door? have you lived in a house where fourteen people shared one bathroom because they were afraid to use the one you used? GALA members have. We want to spare all gay students from this behavior, but at the same time offer an outlet through which they can grow as much as any "straight" student. On October 11th, someone scribbled on a GALA flier, "FAGS GO HOME!" What this individual forgot was: this is our home. And we are not going anywhere.
GALA is committed to raising the consciousness of this campus, in order to end occurrences like those listed above. Often we have heard, "But if you choose to come out, then you have to expect the abuse." Expect, yes; accept, never. Expecting gays and lesbians to hide themselves to avoid abuse is no better than telling Blacks to move to Africa to avoid racism. GALA would like acceptance, or at least tolerance, from the student body. We invite everyone in the "Ursinus community" to actively discourage homophobia wherever it occurs.
Still others worry, "How can GALA sponsor events open to the whole campus?" Obviously, any speakers or workshops run by GALA would be open to the entire campus. In situations where gay students would be needed to speak, GALAs and GLSUs at other campus have already volunteered to help if our own numbers are inadequate. Other events, like going to a dance at the Penn GLSU, would be open to anyone who wishes to attend. Obviously this activity would not appeal to all students. But the purpose of any campus group is not to run events which appeal to all students, only to those who have an interest. This applies to the MSU, IV, Meistersingers, Phi Psi, the football team, the Pre-legal club, and every other group on campus.
GALA hopes that this article has answered a few questions and cleared up most confusion regarding our goals and our charter. As usual, we encourage any students who consider themselves gay or bisexual to approach GALA. Any students, faculty, or staff who wish to join GALA are also welcome to become involved. And we thank all of those people who have already stood up for GALA; we can't do it without you!
Michael Cyr
Class of 1992
Dublin Core
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"Clarification of GALA," October 29, 1991
Subject
The topic of the resource
Grizzly coverage of, and campus reactions to, GALA.
Description
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Michael Cyr addresses and refutes critiques and coverage of GALA.
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Michael Cyr
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The Grizzly
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Ursinus College
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October 29, 1991
bisexual
coming out
Cyr
GALA
gay
homosexuality
lesbians
Oboler
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Title
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History of the GSA
Text
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Dear Editor,
A group of anonymous homosexuals (GALA) recently circulated a letter soliciting faculty members to serve as contacts for students who wish to get in touch with the group. I would consider it extremly cruel to a student with homosexual inclinations to put him in contact with a group that is going to tell him or her: (1) that he or she was born that way and should accept it as their lot in life; (2) that the disgust and revulsion which normal, healthy people have for homosexual acts is a mental illness called "homophobia;" (3) that gay culture is wonderful and exciting (I wonder which part they mean--living with one disease after another and dying young-having someone's fist up your rectum?-mastrubation through a hole in the wall with thousands of anonymous partners?-urinating in your partner's mouth and then letting him take his turn-exchanging feces to eat? All these are regular features of gay culture).
I have a counter-offer to students who may have homosexual leanings: I will be happy to put you in contact with a group (run by ex-homosexuals) that can help you avoid that short and miserable lifestyle. My offer, of course, is based on the conviction that homosexuality is an unhealthy perversion. If GALA and its promoters want to deny that there is such a thing as sexual perversion, then they should be sure to also open up their group to those who are interested in sex with children, sex with the dead, and sex with sheep and dogs.
Sincerely,
John Ronning
Physics Dept.
Friends:
There seem to be a number of misconceptions abroad on campus about the newly formed Gay and Lesbian Alliance, and your October 22 article did little to correct them.
I'm proud to be the faculty advisor to this group. Those who know me know my interest in cultural diversity, in celebrating rather than merely tolerating the differences among us, and in trying to create a society in which each individual can freely seek to achieve her or his own individual potential. Society as a whole has come a long way toward reaching a state in which gender, racial and ethnic discrimination are unacceptable. Prejudice and discrimination on the basis of sexual preference, however, are still largely tolerated. Though perfect statistics are unavailible, the best availible ones indicate that as many as one in 10-15 individuals is gay. In previous generations, most of these people found it neceessary to conceal their sexual preferences; many still do.
Some of my personal interest in this issue began because of my uncle, who was gay. In his generation, outside of "Bohemian" circles, there was no question of tolerance for this preference. He found it hard to accept his own sexuality as normal, and was in constant inner conflict. He neither married nor had a long-term gay relationship; he was a very lonely man. The existence of a support structure of the kind GALA proposes to provide could have made all the difference in my uncle's life. I intend to do anything I can to change the social climate so that others can lead happier lives, relatively free from social stigma.
The Oct. 22 Grizzly article raises the issue of whether there is a "need for GALA on this campus." The other group having its constitution reviewed at the Oct. 16th SAC meeting was the Skydiving Club. Is there a need on campus for a Skydiving Club? I'd venture to guess that there are more gay people on campus than potential skydivers. A member of the Ursinus Hillel pointed out to me that the same question could be raised about the Hillel, which serves a very small portion of the community. However, in each of these organization, the group of people directly involved certainly sees the "need" for them, and it seems to me that whether they serve directly the needs of other students is entirely beside the point.
The issue that seems to casue some people concern is confidentiality. The article reports that "GALA members want to be anonymous. This is not exactly the case. After all, the members of the executive committee who attended the SAC meeting were making no attempt to maintain anonymity. What is true is that GALA has established a mechanism whereby gay students who prefer to remain "in the closet" can become involved with the organization. For GALA to acomplish its objectives, this is absolutely necessary. People who need peer counseling about their sexuality must be able to contact a supportive peer group without being required to make their identities known to everyone. At present, the organization officers are all out and perfectly willing to reveal who they are. All the anonymity they want is not to have their phone numbers published to all and sundry. It's difficult for me to see how anyone can deny that in the case of this particular organization there is a unique potential for harassment. Much intolerance is demonstrated even in quotes in the article: "I am against homosexuality"; "It offends me...I do not approve of the public organization such as GALA."
The author of your article finds problematic "how the club was going to be an active part of the Ursinus community, but remain anonymous." Part of the answer is that no-one is talking about complete anonymity for all members. The club will be an active part of the community by sponsoring speakers, workshops and other awareness events. They also plan to make trips to off-campus events, on which other students will be welcome to come along.
SAC, it is reported, is "debating as to whether the campus will benefit from the organization." (Does every organization have to argue that it will provide benefits to the entire campus?) I would make the assumption that gay students represent a portion of the community at least as substantial as other special interests represented in other student organizations. These students will benefit directly. Beyond this, I believe that all students will beneift from any organization that make efforts toward increasing appreciation of diversity.
Sincerely,
Gina Oboler
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"Face Off: Pros and Cons of GALA," November 12, 1991
Subject
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Campus benefits of GALA
Description
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Physics professor John Ronning argues that GALA would promote a harmful if curable lifestyle that is homosexuality, while Sociology professor Regina Oboler argues that GALA will benefit all of campus.
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John Ronning, Gina Oboler
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The Grizzly
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Ursinus College
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November 12, 1991
closet
feces
GALA
Hillel
Oboler
Ronning
SAC
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Text
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Homosexuality is a subject that sparks deep emotion and can bring out strong feelings either good or bad in both the students and faculty of the Ursinus campus. Is there a need for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance on this campus? That seems to be the question that has come about as a result of all the posters that the campus was bombarded with on October 11th. The letter that was sent to the student body also raised some questions. As junior Ralph Handy said, "I was astonished by the letter, I feel they contradicted themselves by not signing the letter, and then saying that they were coming out of the closet. They also said to contact a faculty member, but they did not say who."
The GALA constitution went before SAC to be passed on Wednesday October 16th and a decision is still pending. Some problems that were addressed at this meeting were how the club was going to be an active part of the Ursinus community, but remain anonymous. As a clause in the constitution, GALA members want to be anonymous and students that are interested would have to be channeled through a faculty advisor, Dr. Oboler. The committee was trying to determine how they were going to plan events that would involve the whole campus if the members were to be anonymous. One GALA did not want the officers of the club to be listed in the student directory because they were worried about being harassed by other students and the surrounding community. One of the members of the committee asked them if they realized the low opinion of their student peers that they held. This GALA member felt that there is widespread homophobia on this campus and that this campus is just not ready for GALA. Another problem that was addressed was that the GALA constitution stated that alumni could also be eligible to join, but both the committee and GALA seemed to agree to drop this clause.
The members of the GALA that were present at the SAC meeting have done their research and have talked with other groups on campuses in this area. They have attended conferences and have worked with PRISMA on how to go about starting a club. The objectives of the club outlined in the constitution include having a social outlet for the homosexual population on campus, give emotional support and counseling within the group about the personal issues of being a homosexual, sponser activities to promote greater self-awareness, and to heighten awarenss and combat homophobia within the Ursinus community.
Student reaciton across the campus has been diverse, from "I am against homosexuality" to "I am confused and do not know what to think." One sophomore who wished to remain anonymous commented, "It offends me, gay and lesbian acts are private, and I do not approve of the public organization such as GALA that Ursinus would support."
Now it is up to SAC to decide if there is a need for a GALA and if the constitution should be passed. They are debating as to whether the campus will benefit form [sic] the organization or if its confidentiality clause will cause to many problems with student membership. As one sorority pledge said, "I think it is a good idea if they realize the pressure they will be receiving from the Ursinus student body. But they do need a support network just like anybody other club on campus."
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Title
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"GALA Seeks Recognition," October 22, 1991
Subject
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Official recognition of GALA
Description
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Narrative recounting GALA's efforts to be official recognized by the SAC and the various opinions of several members of the student body.
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Melisa Miller
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The Grizzly
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Ursinus College
Date
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October 22, 1991
Type
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News
GALA
homosexuality
Miller
Oboler
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History of the GSA
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"Oboler"
Oboler
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History of the GSA
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As Americans, we are guranteed the freedom of speech by the First Amendment of the Constitution. This amendment does not, however, gurantee that what we write will be of good opinion or in good taste. In the last issue of The Grizzly, two faculty letters expressed views concerning the recently founded Ursinus chapter of GALA. Generally, I feel (as I believe a majority of the students at Ursinus feel) that students look to the faculty not only as experienced teachers of selected subject matter, but also human beings with a greater understanding of life. Therefore, it would seem that a faculty letter regarding GALA would give substantial reasoning for why GALA should or should not exist at Ursinus in the context of the school rather than based on personal judgement.
While I feel that everyone has the right to express their opinion, I believe that Mr. Ronning's letter in the last issue of the paper did not even attempt to relate GALA to the context of the school or to the need it would provide a certain poriton of the student body. Instead, Mr. Ronning's article attempted to explain the reasoning behind why he felt "homosexualitiy is an unhealthy perversion" rather than why he felt the GALA organization should not exist. For a man of science, surprisingly, Ronning's article lacked scientific reasoning and proof. Ronning created a stereotype in which he explicitly suggested the sexual practices of the entire homosexual population. Does he feel the sexual practices of the entire heterosexual population are "normal" in comparison? To prove this assumption false, one has merely to turn on the news or glance at a newspaper to hear of the strange (may I even suggest perverse) practices of a percentage of the hetersexual population. As a heterosexual person, I would not like to be placed in a stereotype with many of the heterosexual people that frequent singles bars and clubs across the country. I think it is just as ridiculous to assume that all homosexuals participate in the practices that Ronning offers as "regular features of gay culture." Stereotyping all homosexuals as perverse, raging sex fiends allows those that Mr. Ronning considers "normal, healthy people" to continue to debase the homosexual population and deny the validity of their existence. To accept homosexuals as people who are capable of monogamous, loving relationships would mean admitting that they are similar to "normal, healthy" heterosexuals.
In consideration of Mr. Ronning's feelings regarding the safety of homosexual actions, many diseases that were known originally to have been spread throughout the homosexual population are now prevalent among hetersexual populations. With the recent announcement of Magic Johnson's contaction of the AIDS virus, many people were awakened to the fact that AIDS does not discriminate, and to the fact that even heterosexual practices can lead to contraction of the diesease. It is impossible to question the safety of homosexual practices without quesitoning the practice of all sexual human beings.
As for Ursinus in regard to the GALA, no one has to like the organization, people mrely have to accept it and the needs of the students it is serving. GALA has had some complications surrounding its beginning on campus, but these complications arise in any college organization. GALA has been approved by the Student Activites Committee (SAC) and does plan to provide activities such as speakers, programs, and awareness evetns. Dr. Oboler's letter published in last week's Grizzly stated that SAC is "debating as to whether the campus will beneift from the organization." Would an organization take the trouble to approach SAC with a proposed constitution if it was not serious in its intentions? In what other campus clubs are people putting their lifestyle on the line in order to gain campus recognition as a legitimate organization? Letters like Mr. Ronning's (who sadly represents a significant portion of the country's population) should remind us that the time has come to accept people who are different from ourselves. Although some of society has changed its opinion to the point of tolerating homosexuality, many others are still classified as "homophobes." Perhaps it is wrong to belive that all unaware and uncomfortable people suffer from "homophobia." In that case, the services GALA plans to provide through programs and speakers should help to educate the portion of the campus population that is unfamiliar with or uncomfortable with homosexuality. As Dr. Oboler stated in her letter last week, "I believe that all students will benefit from any organization that makes efforts towards increasing appreciation of diversity."
The preamble of the Constitution gives all United States citizens the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The time has come for these rights to extend beyond hetersexual people to include all people. As human beings, the time has come to accept that other people have needs which differ from our own, and that we may possibly benefit from the views and opinions of others. Mr. Ronning's opinion served the college community well; it made others strengthen and reevaluate their own opinions concerning the GALA organization. Unfortunately, I don't believe society will move in a positive direction if people continue to hold opinions similar to Mr. Ronning.
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"Writing in Good Taste," November 19, 1991
Subject
The topic of the resource
John Ronning's letter on GALA
Description
An account of the resource
Ellen R. Sylvester, the Assistant Opinions Editor, argues that Ronning's letter was harmful and stereotyped the homosexual populaiton.
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Ellen R. Sylvester
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The Grizzly
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Ursinus College
Date
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November 19, 1991
AIDS
GALA
homosexual
homosexuality
Magic Johnson
Oboler
Ronning
Sylvester