Where we were…
A bleak time:
In the spring of 1989 the GLBA (gay, lesbian and bisexual alliance) mailed incoming students a flyer inviting them to get involved with the organization. What resulted were more than 100 harassing phone calls to GLBA from students, forcing Miami’s security office to put taps on phones. No one was prosecuted because Miami could not prove who actually made the calls from each student’s room.
While certainly an event of the past, it’s not so unlike the instance last April when Spectrum, Miami’s queer-straight alliance, distributed table tents to promote its annual Awareness Week. The table tents, which listed the events of the week and showed a picture of two men kissing, sparked some controversy, as some were torn up and momentarily removed from tables in Erickson Dining Hall.
Leslie Morrow, interim assistant director of diversity affairs for GLBTQ services, received her undergrad from Miami in 1993. That was the year Miami dedicated a memorial garden to Robert Phillips, an openly gay faculty member and original member of the Domestic Partner Benefits Task Force.
Even so, Morrow called it a “bleak time” for sexual diversity on campus.
“Many of the students met secretly because it wasn’t as accepted,” Morrow says. “We were lucky if we had 10 students who were open about their sexuality.”
Bruce Drushel, a communications professor of undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on addressing sexual minorities and media, recalls a similar past.
“Many people were afraid to be more open because the atmosphere was very hostile,” Drushel says. “Faculty and staff who did not know me well would tell me their ‘fag jokes.’ Some were well known for their anti-gay views.”
In the mid ‘90s, certain Miami traditions among the campus conservatives took place that revealed overtly anti-gay rhetoric, including “H82BGay” license plates.
“One student organization posted signs promoting ‘Gerbil Fest’ during Lesbian & Gay Awareness Week as a way of belittling us,” Drushel says. “There was a tremendous sense of isolation.”
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A step in the right direction:
While many events took place at Miami over the years that played a role in affecting attitudes toward sexual diversity, few had as much impact as the Brinkman case.
In November of 2005, State Representative Tom Brinkman sued Miami University in an attempt to block gay partner benefits. Brinkman argued the case for two years, claiming that the university’s same-sex partnership policy violated the Ohio constitutional ban on gay marriage. In November 2006 the court found that Brinkman was unaffected in his daily life by gay and lesbian university employees having health insurance, in which case there was no legal standing for a lawsuit.
In August 2007, the Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals ruled again that Brinkman did not have legal standing to sue because, although he was a taxpayer and parent of two Miami students, Miami uses private donations to reimburse tax dollars spent on domestic partner benefits.
Miami’s fight to uphold the benefits has been viewed as a huge success in altering the school’s image of being inconsiderate of sexual diversity.
Devin Rodgers, co-president of Spectrum, was particularly impressed with the university’s decision.
“I was really excited that Miami was pursuing the case and fighting it,” he says. “It would have been very easy to say, ‘Fine, we’ll get rid of it.’”
Drushel adds that fighting the case impacted perceptions of Miami a great deal.
“When the university was sued it stood its ground and had a plan in place to defend its fairness and equal treatment,” he says. “[They] changed a lot of mindsets among those of us who thought real change would take longer.”
Miami became the first state university in Ohio to offer full domestic partnership benefits, including medical and dental coverage. Drushel recalls how he knew it signified that Miami’s attitude had changed, and for the better.
“There [was] a seismic shift in attitudes among administration,” he says. “I remember when I first heard they had been approved. I was in my car and I nearly went off the road.”
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Where we are…
From the outside, one might view Miami as a school that has made little progress in acceptance of sexual diversity. Categorized as a “Homogeneous Student Population” and one which "Alternative Lifestyles (are) Not an Alternative” by the Princeton Review, it would seem to be a common perception.
And yet, thought-leaders of Miami’s gay population tell a different story.
“The progress has been tremendous,” Drushel says.
“Some of [it] is curricular,” he adds, “particularly having sexuality and gender recognized as a sort of difference that is valued by the Miami Plan.”
As a result, Miami now offers dozens of courses that address gay issues. There were one, maybe two, such courses when Drushel first came to Miami in 1987, he says.
Morrow, from GLBTQ, attributes some of the progress to the attitudes of Miami’s administration, particularly President David Hodge’s commitment to advancing diversity across the full spectrum.
“There’s just so many things that he’s done in the short time he’s been here,” she says. “It has really allowed me to have access to resources in order to help students.”
Rodgers agrees that the administration is playing a major role, and has worked directly with Richard Nault, vice president of student affairs, on issues concerning sexual diversity.
“I’ve met with Richard numerous times and he has talked about ways we can make it more of an inclusive campus,” he says. “Also, last year for our ally picnic, President Hodge showed up, which meant a lot to the organization to know that we were supported by him.”
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Miami Perceptions:
While there is certainly room for improvement, there doesn’t seem to be anything inherently Miami that creates negative attitudes toward sexual diversity.
“There are likely no unique issues here,” Drushel says. “You always have people having to undo stereotypes.”
Morrow believes the negative attitudes toward gay students are purely developmental, agreeing it’s not unique to Miami.
“People are coming in, maybe from smaller schools where they believe they haven’t been exposed to sexual diversity,” she says. “A lot of people say to me—and it’s terribly shocking—‘I don’t know anyone that’s gay.’”
Morrow says these statements reflect how one’s language can be very “hetero-normative,” where one makes assumptions based on their own life.
“I had one student in class say to me, ‘I don’t know anyone who is openly gay,’ and I was so much more impressed with that,” she says.
Rodgers feels part of the reason students are less willing to “come out” at Miami is because of the perception, not necessarily the reality, that members of the university aren’t welcoming to their lifestyle.
“I hate to say it, but I think because of the Greek community at Miami, people are afraid to come out in their organizations,” he says.
Rodgers is quick to point out that he feels this is another example of a false perception, stating he knows many GLBT students involved in Greek life and their experiences have been good.
Drushel says he believes that more students are being exposed to gay peers prior to attending Miami than in the past.
“We assume that Miami students don’t come from diverse backgrounds, but I don’t know if that necessarily includes sexual diversity,” he says. “I think that because students are coming out earlier now, it’s entirely possible that by the time students set foot on campus here they may have known someone who was lesbian or gay.”
For those students who haven’t had experiences with sexual diversity, Drushel sees this as all the more reason to educate.
“I like the idea that one of my courses might be the first academic exposure to the subject matter a student might have,” he says. “I don’t always like preaching to the choir.”
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“That’s so gay”:
Ironically, one of the most prevalent areas of homophobic expression at Miami is one that may not necessarily be intentional. The rhetoric that has developed over the years in which one refers to something that is negative as being “gay” has become fused into campus culture, among many places.
“In my office I hear people outside making those comments,” Morrow says, “I’ll confront them and say, ‘Excuse me?’ and then I see the red in their face from embarrassment. And yet, they’re going to expect me to say such a thing.”
Morrow believes that it is going to require allies—heterosexuals who support sexual diversity—to stand up and make it clear that such language is unacceptable.
“Whether we’re in the classroom or at a Greek event,” she adds, “there has to be the same language and same message that it’s totally unacceptable.”
Rodgers adds that it’s more than just the “that’s so gay” issue.
“Language really does seem to be a huge problem,” he says. “You would never hear someone on campus openly saying racial slurs, but you hear people say words like ‘fag,’ ‘queer,’ and ‘homo’ all the time.”
The obvious issue of offending aside, there are other ramifications related to how students talk about sexuality, says Drushel.
“When you associate the term ‘gay’ with negativity, some students purposely use ‘homosexual’ when they really mean ‘gay’ because of the negative association with the term,” Drushel explains. “When actually the word ‘homosexual,’ because it describes only a behavior, is far worse.”
“The term homosexual,” Morrow further explains, “is one that medicalizes. It was used early on as a way that implied choice, a crime against nature —like we were sick.”
Understanding the use of language is a part of Morrow’s work. Her job is not to convince, she says, but rather to expose.
“That’s really all it is—awareness, exposure and respect,” she says, “If you make the choice to not surround your personal circle with that environment, that’s fine. But are you willing to stop using phrases like ‘That’s so gay,’ which condemns a life?”
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Where we’re going…
Gender identity:
“I think that the next frontier regarding sexual and gender diversity for Miami—and much of the rest of the country—is going to be transgender,” Drushel says. “There’s more being written in academic journals and being presented at conferences.”
He admits that this is will be new territory for some, which may make progress seem slow at first.
“For many people,” he says, “there’s going to be a steep learning curve.”
Morrow believes Miami is already headed in the right direction, especially now that “gender identity” has been added to the university’s non-discrimination statement.
“I think that’s huge,” she says, “considering I believe of all the students I serve, transgender students are the least served.”
Morrow adds that sexual identity is becoming more complex, on—and off—campus.
“We’ve always situated heterosexual v. other,” she says. “I’m recognizing that more students are coming out wishing not to be labeled. They have a much more fluid sense of sexuality and what it means to them.”
Moving away from gender politics to support the needs of other students has opened Morrow up to new ideas.
“It has definitely forced me to be more creative with the different kinds of programming, education and awareness,” she says, “but at the same time I recognize that there are students who are attached to the labels such as gay and lesbian and what it means to them.”
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Full spectrum:
With more than 80 members now attending its weekly Tuesday meetings, Spectrum has reached a level which might have been thought impossible when it was founded in 1986.
Its members, who were once a small group within the GLBT community, have grown to include many student allies.
“A lot of times people think they can’t come to Spectrum meetings if they’re not gay,” Rodgers says, “when actually, I’d say probably half our attendance are allies.”
The popularity of the organization’s annual Awareness Week speaks loudly for how much their support has grown.
“I’ve been very pleased over the years watching Spectrum grow to the point that it’s doing some very good campus programming,” Drushel says. “The Awareness Week each year is an organizational phenomena as far as I’m concerned.”
The drag show, which is put on by Spectrum each year and has been part of Awareness Week, has raised money for AIDS research in the past. This year the money will go toward breast cancer research.
“The attendance for that is amazing,” Rodgers says. “The student population is definitely supporting it.”
Painting a Hopeful Future
Although there are still issues to be dealt with, Miami has arguably come a long way over the years toward building a better community for sexual diversity to exist.
“I expect continued slow but steady progress toward full acceptance,” Drushel says.
Much of the improvement will depend on a larger cultural context, he adds, including how the media progresses.
At Miami, though, it will be a community effort that brings about change.
“It will involve all—student, staff and faculty,” Morrow says, “to work on purpose and intent toward creating a welcoming campus that respects all walks of life.”
“If the last 20 years are any indication of future progress,” Drushel says, “the picture is very bright indeed.”
-john wright
SIDEBAR:
We believe the following to be some of Miami’s top issues regarding sexual diversity:
Climate
From the “that’s so gay” catchphrase to students openly using words like “fag” and “homo” the overall climate at Miami has much room for improvement. While students may feel they aren’t personally homophobic, their actions may suggest otherwise. It’s time to take a step back and begin to question whether our manner of speech is what should be expected from an educated individual.
Stereotyping
We’re a society that loves to label and assume. Unfortunately it just reveals the truth about what knowledge some of us lack regarding sexual diversity. Those in the GLBT community are not necessarily great dressers, atheist or uninterested in hobbies that are perceived as hetero. Stereotyping, in all forms, blinds us from the fact that there isn’t just one thing that defines who we are.
Inclusive Living
We should strive to be a campus that is open to all personal lifestyles. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight and transgender students all have unique experiences and perspectives that can be appreciated by a school that is working toward diversity. Students should realize that taking a stand to support individual lifestyles is not a selective process, but one that involves being open minded to all areas of diversity.
-john wright
NOTE: This article was originally formatted to be printed in a magazine, but because I was unable to use bold/italic and different font sizes, some of that was lost. I tried to lay it out in a way that was easiest to follow.