Breaking taboo: LGBTA has come a long way

Forty years ago it seemed ridiculous that one of the biggest and most widely recognized events on a large campus such as UB would be a professional drag show in the middle of the Student Union.

Thanks to the continual work of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance on campus and throughout the Buffalo community, UB has lowered its prejudices and become a place where students from across the sexual spectrum can feel comfortable being themselves.

"It's important to realize that LGBT have always been on campus since its inception," said Matthew L. Schwartz, senior studio arts major, and the organization's president. "They have always been around, but they had to be in the closet sometimes. It is only today that I can walk around this university and be proud to be a gay man."

The majority of the student body grew up in a society educated about the presence of gays, lesbians and transsexuals, one that was, for the most part, accepting. It is often never fully understood that homosexuality was once illegal, and how far it has come since then. The formation of the LGBTA on campus coincided with the beginning of a revolution for the gay, lesbian and transsexual populations at universities and throughout the country.

During the last weekend of June in 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York City, was invaded by police forces that, after making homophobic comments, subsequently threw each patron out of the business. What followed was a three-day rebellion that for the first time in history gave the LGBT population the chance to speak up and inspired decades of advancement. After years of oppression and discrimination, the gay population had a voice.

UB's chapter of LGBTA, present on campus since 1969, has become one of the most active and involved gay and lesbian forces in the Buffalo community. Through student, faculty and administrative support the LGBTA has flourished.

"I can't think of another campus with an administration that is more helpful than ours. I don't know if that would have been possible years ago," said Schwartz, "and now it is. There's a whole team here at UB who care about and work for students."

Besides its annual drag show, the LGBTA sponsors and promotes a variety of educational workshops and programs to educate their own members as well as the student body around them. Examples of these include GRASP, a discussion-based workshop based on dispelling myths about the LGBT community and Sirens, a female discussion group which works with the AIDS Community services.

"How fantastic is it that they would let us do education and outreach?" said Schwartz. "People hate because they fear, education takes that away."

Schwartz credits much of the LGBTA's success to the work of departments and administrators at UB, including the Wellness Center, the Leadership Development Center and the Diversity Committee.

The Diversity Committee and Office of Multicultural Affairs are in fact responsible for putting on a series of workshops this semester, including one which took place this past Tuesday, which focused on LGBT leaders in the community, and one coming up in November, called Queer Eye for the Workplace.

"Our purpose for these programs is to assist in motivating students to know about the professionals and leaders they can identify with and about the challenges that these professionals face," said Vicki Sapp, coordinator of multicultural affairs for student life. "We try to equip students with the tools to make them sensitive to their issues and to assist, advocate and to be an ally for their group."

The presence of programs like this on campus not only assists the LGBTA in spreading their ideals, but also attracts students who are looking for an accepting campus.

"Coming to UB, visiting and seeing that there was an active group is part of what made me come here," said Sarah Meira Hoberman, a senior English major. "This year I'm trying to get very involved so that I can give back to the group that made me, and gave me the strength to be who I am in the community."

Members of the LGBTA say that even so soon into the semester, their group has seen an improvement since last year.

"We've started to shift our focus from being just a safe space and social group to being activists on campus and really working for the things that need to be worked for," said Hoberman.

"For me to be who I am and walk down the hall is a political statement for me," said Schwartz. "This campus celebrates looking and exploring things that others won't talk about. This is an awesome place to be."