Alliance of Queer and Ally Students

Last updated
Alliance of Queer and Ally Students
FoundedEarly 1970s
Focus LGBT and straight ally students of Michigan State University
Location
Area served
Michigan State University
Website http://msualliance.weebly.com/
Formerly called
Gay liberation movement

The Alliance of Queer and Ally Students is a student organization for LGBT and straight ally students of Michigan State University. One of the oldest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender groups in Michigan, it began in the early 1970s. First dubbed the Michigan State Gay Liberation Movement (GLM), some sources state the organization began in 1970, [1] [2] while others state it began in 1972. [3]

Contents

On March 7, 1972, the city council of East Lansing, Michigan passed an LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance, something the GLM had been pushing for. [4] Since then, the group has advocated for policy changes on campus, such as policies around preferred names, gender neutral housing, and gender neutral bathrooms. [3]

About

Mission statement

On the home page of the Alliance’s website, listed below, they provided their mission statement which reads, “The purpose of the Alliance shall be to advocate for and assist in the maintenance of the equality of all groups of Students at Michigan State University that are discriminated against on the basis of gender identity and/or sexual orientation. We recognize and believe that all forms of oppression are connected and act as barriers to personal and academic success, and are committed to working with other student groups to fight oppression in any form. Our mission is to engage in projects and educational endeavors that will expand the horizons of social, legal, economic, and sexual equality for these Students at Michigan State University.” [5]

Ten Point Plan

Found on the Alliance’s Twitter page, the group put together a ten-point plan on inclusion of diversity, bettering equality, and inclusion of all students. The list reads:

1. We demand the revitalization of the Office of Cultural & Academic Transitions office, its programming, and the Intercultural Aide program by Fall 2020.

2. We demand a mandatory general education course for all students on race, ethnicity, racism, and gender be implemented into curriculum by Fall 2020.

3. We demand cultural, racial and religious sensitivity training for all University faculty, staff, contractors, and police officers as outlined by a student selected group by Fall 2020.

4. We demand that the Black & Minority faculty and staff demographics in each department reflect the current national demographics by December 2021.

5. We demand that Michigan State University become registered as a sanctuary school.

6. We demand the addition of reflection rooms in all campus neighborhoods.

7. We demand that a freestanding multicultural building be placed on campus.

8. We demand that Michigan State University increase the number of gender inclusive housing options and restrooms on campus by 75% by the start of the Fall 2020 semester.

9. We demand that the flat-rate tuition price be dropped to the price of 12 credit hours by the start of the Winter 2020 semester.

10. We demand that Student Affairs create a designated fund for the Council of Progressive Students (COPS).

History

When first registered as a student organization, the group called itself the Michigan State University Gay Liberation Movement. [6] The name of the group was changed several times over the decades, reflecting the political and social context of the era. The 1980’s saw several adjustments: to the MSU Gay Liberation Council, then the MSU Lesbian/Gay Council, and finally, the Alliance of Lesbian-Bi-Gay Students. The early 1990’s saw the formal inclusion of transgender individuals into the group, which then became the Alliance of LBGT students. In 2005, the group became the Alliance of Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgendered, and Straight Ally Students. They adopted Alliance of Queer and Ally Students in 2010. [1]

Through the 1980’s and the mid-1990’s, the Alliance provided opportunities for MSU students, faculty and staff, and people from the surrounding metropolitan area, to meet, learn, and organize. A variety of student-initiated support and discussion groups created safe places for LGBT individuals to share their experiences and build community. These weekly meetings included the Gay Support Group, Lesbian Support Group, and the Coming Out Support group. They were facilitated by one consistent individual, usually representative of the participants. The support and discussion groups attracted many members. The Coming Out Support Group had grown so large and diverse that by 1991, two facilitators, a male and a female, led the group, which continued to expand until it was divided and met on a second day.

The Alliance also provided local and regional schools, governmental units, hospitals, churches, non-profits, and even other colleges and universities, as well as MSU classes, dormitories, fraternities and sororities, among others, with LBGT+ individuals for Panel Q&A discussions. Panels consisted of four members, usually MSU students trained by their peers for the events. The Alliance would occasionally pair with other related groups, such as PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and MOHR (the Michigan Organization for Human Rights), to add their perspectives to the panels. Over the period, thousands of people from the Mid-and-Southern Michigan areas were afforded an opportunity to meet openly LGBT+ people, ask questions, and discuss issues.

The Alliance organized on-campus protests and marches, participated in the annual Lansing Pride Parade, and facilitated MSU student, faculty, and staff participation in special events, such as the 1993 March on Washington. Alliance members conducted local and regional media outreach, and provided representatives to speak to journalists from newspaper, radio, and television news providers.

Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, the Council, and then the Alliance, maintained an ongoing commitment to HIV/AIDS education, awareness, and prevention. Effective therapies for controlling HIV were still years away, making HIV/AIDS prevention an urgent priority. Members provided free AIDS awareness and education materials, condoms and dental dams, etc., hosted informational seminars and member trainings, and made themselves available to answer questions and provide referrals across the spectrum of the services and events they were involved with. Michigan State University itself played a crucial role by consistently providing the funds necessary to support these efforts.

Engagement with Civil Rights

The group has a history with its members engaging in protests and coming into conflict with local and University authorities over LGBT rights. Tim Retzloff once conducted several oral history recordings, and stated later that the MSU GLM had participated in protests against the Vietnam War. These recorded interviews were with people who had been active in Michigan’s historical gay liberation actions and organizations. One man interviewed, Leonard Graff, talked about a blockade formed on the intersection of Grand River and Michigan “for days”. The recordings also revealed that MSU had once barred the GLM from hanging a banner on a local street for Gay Pride Week. [2]

First Anti-Discriminatory Ordinance

On March 7, 1972, the city council of East Lansing, Michigan, passed an ordinance against discrimination based on sexual orientation when hiring employees, stating that they would hire the best applicant to fill the job, “without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex or homosexuality.” [7]

Notable Members

Don Gaudard - A member of the GLM in 1994, he helped to put a stop to traffic on the intersection of Grand River and Michigan by pretending to drop his contact lens. [2]

Leonard Graff – Was interviewed, gave a history of the blockade formed to protest American involvement in the Vietnam war. [2]

Tim Retzloff – Currently teaching history and LGBTQ studies at Michigan University, interviewed and recorded several past members of the GLM. [8]

Current E-Board

Chairperson – Mady Gildea

Vice Chairperson – Sean Wolski

Office Manager – Emily Pelky

ASMSU Representative – Colin Wiebrecht

RHA Representative – Katrine Weismantle

Public Relations Coordinator – Sydney Cronkhite

Conference Coordinator – Jenna B.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT community</span> Community and culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

The LGBT community is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBT activists and sociologists see LGBT community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBT community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term. The LGBT community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBT community.

Queer studies, sexual diversity studies, or LGBT studies is the study of topics relating to sexual orientation and gender identity usually focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender dysphoric, asexual, queer, questioning, and intersex people and cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay–straight alliance</span> Student groups supporting LGBT youth

A gay–straight alliance, gender-sexuality alliance (GSA) or queer–straight alliance (QSA) is a student-led or community-based organization, found in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. These are primarily in the United States and Canada. Gay–straight alliance is intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and all LGBTQ+ individuals, children, teenagers, and youth as well as their cisgender heterosexual allies. The first GSAs were established in the 1980s. Scientific studies show that GSAs have positive academic, health, and social impacts on schoolchildren of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Numerous judicial decisions in United States federal and state court jurisdictions have upheld the establishment of GSAs in schools, and the right to use that name for them.

A straight ally, heterosexual ally, or cis ally is a heterosexual and cisgender person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ social movements. Individuals may meet this designation through their actions without actively identifying as an ally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay Liberation Front</span> Gay liberation groups in major US, UK, and Canadian cities during the 1960s-70s

Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK, Australia and Canada. The GLF provided a voice for the newly-out and newly radicalized gay community, and a meeting place for a number of activists who would go on to form other groups, such as the Gay Activists Alliance, Gay Youth New York, and Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) in the US. In the UK and Canada, activists also developed a platform for gay liberation and demonstrated for gay rights. Activists from both the US and UK groups would later go on to found or be active in groups including ACT UP, the Lesbian Avengers, Queer Nation, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and Stonewall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture</span> Common culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people

LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean either "LGBT culture" or homosexual culture specifically.

The origin of the LGBT student movement can be linked to other activist movements from the mid-20th century in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement and Second-wave feminist movement were working towards equal rights for other minority groups in the United States. Though the student movement began a few years before the Stonewall riots, the riots helped to spur the student movement to take more action in the US. Despite this, the overall view of these gay liberation student organizations received minimal attention from contemporary LGBT historians. This oversight stems from the idea that the organizations were founded with haste as a result of the riots. Others historians argue that this group gives too much credit to groups that disagree with some of the basic principles of activist LGBT organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Toy</span> American LGBTQ activist (1930–2022)

James Willis Toy was a long-time American activist and a pioneer for LGBT rights in Michigan.

LGBT student centers and services are administrative offices of a college, university or students' union that provide resources and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. LGBT has expanded to LGBTQ2IA+ to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, intersex, asexual and other identities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT movements in the United States</span>

LGBT movements in the United States comprise an interwoven history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied social movements in the United States of America, beginning in the early 20th century. A commonly stated goal among these movements is social equality for LGBT people. Some have also focused on building LGBT communities or worked towards liberation for the broader society from biphobia, homophobia, and transphobia. LGBT movements organized today are made up of a wide range of political activism and cultural activity, including lobbying, street marches, social groups, media, art, and research. Sociologist Mary Bernstein writes: "For the lesbian and gay movement, then, cultural goals include challenging dominant constructions of masculinity and femininity, homophobia, and the primacy of the gendered heterosexual nuclear family (heteronormativity). Political goals include changing laws and policies in order to gain new rights, benefits, and protections from harm." Bernstein emphasizes that activists seek both types of goals in both the civil and political spheres.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) affirming denominations in Judaism are Jewish religious groups that welcome LGBT members and do not consider homosexuality to be a sin. They include both entire Jewish denominations, as well as individual synagogues. Some are composed mainly of non-LGBT members and also have specific programs to welcome LGBT people, while others are composed mainly of LGBT members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Equality March</span>

The National Equality March was a national political rally that occurred October 11, 2009 in Washington, D.C. It called for equal protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The march was called for by activist David Mixner and implemented by Cleve Jones, and organized by Equality Across America and the Courage Campaign. Kip Williams and Robin McGehee served as co-directors. Leaders like actress Michelle Clunie, Courage Campaign marketing director, Billy Pollina and New York gubernatorial aide Peter Yacobellis hosted the first fundraiser in the spring of 2009. This was the first national march in Washington, D.C. for LGBT rights since the 2000 Millennium March.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight Alliance (GLBTSA) of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the largest LGBTIQ student organization in the Southeastern United States. GLBTSA sponsors the annual Southeast Regional Unity Conference as well as Lambda magazine, the nation's oldest LGBTIQ student publication. The general body holds weekly meetings as well as guest speakers, drag shows, retreats, trips, and service projects. GLBTSA has three additional programs: Colors, Committee for a Queerer Carolina (activism), and Fruit Bowl (social).

The Spectrum Center is an office at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor that is dedicated to providing education, outreach, and advocacy for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied (LGBTQA) community. Since the organizations' creation in 1971, the Spectrum Center's mission statement has been to "enrich the campus experience and develop students as individuals and as members of the LGBTQA community." The organization achieves this through student-centered education, outreach, advocacy and support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ Aggies</span> Student group at Texas A&M University

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Aggies is an officially recognized student group at Texas A&M University. Originally known as Gay Student Services (GSS) and later as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Aggies, the organization was officially recognized by Texas A&M University in 1985 after a lengthy court battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education and the LGBT community</span>

Historically speaking, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have not been given equal treatment and rights by both governmental actions and society's general opinion. Much of the intolerance for LGBT individuals come from lack of education around the LGBT community, and contributes to the stigma that results in same-sex marriage being legal in few countries (31) and persistence of discrimination, such as in the workplace.

Ronni Lebman Sanlo is the Director Emeritus of the UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center and an authority on matters relating to LGBT students, faculty and staff in higher education. She recognized at an early age that she was a lesbian, but was too afraid to tell anybody. Sanlo went to college then married and had two children. At the age of 31, Ronni came out and lost custody of her young children. The treatment toward the LBGT community and her rights as a mother are what gave Sanlo the drive to get involved in activism and LGBT politics.

References

  1. 1 2 "Alliance of Queer and Ally Students Records UA.12.3.24". archives.msu.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Retzloff, Tim (June 5, 2019). "Shockwaves from Stonewall: Revisiting Gay Liberation in Michigan". Pride Source. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "About". The Alliance. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  4. ↑ "East Lansing Marks 40th Anniversary of Gay Rights Ordinance". WKAR. March 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Home". The Alliance of Queer and Ally Students. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Event Timeline: 1970s". University of Michigan Library. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  7. ↑ "LGBTQ Non-discrimination in the States". Freedom for All Americans. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Tim Rezloff". Michigan LGBTQ Remember. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.