I am new to campus and don't know many people. Also, I am gay. I am interested in getting to know more people for friendship and maybe more. Do you know good ways to get to know people here on campus? I would like to meet other gay people but also would just like to make friends.
—SP
Most columnists would write a long-winded piece about how you can join student organizations, go out to bars or cruise the Internet for other gays to hang or make out with. I'm not that kind of columnist. But to make sure I'm doing my duty, SP, you could join one of the many student organizations on campus, many of which count gays as their leaders or in membership. You could check out the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Campus Center on the second floor of the Memorial Union. They have lots of suggestions for getting involved and meeting other people.
Of course the broader Madison community boasts numerous organizations and activities targeted toward LGBT communities. Try starting with OutReach, located at 600 Williamson St. Lastly, if you're of a certain age, several bars and clubs in the area cater to queer communities and provide opportunity for social interaction.
But I have to tell you, SP, something's been bothering me and I think it's probably been bothering you too. In case you haven't heard, there have been quite a few suicides in the past weeks by gay teens who have been tormented by bullies. And it's not just kids in high school who are in the crosshairs of homophobic bullies. Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University, committed suicide after his roommate broadcast a live-feed of him hooking up with a guy. And while kids killing themselves because of bullying isn't exactly a new phenomenon, people actually paying attention to it is.
So let's have a real conversation about it. Campus Pride, the national leader in LGBT issues on college campuses recently published the results of its national survey of campus climate. Among the findings: only 7 percent of colleges and universities have dedicated services for LGBT students. That's right, 7 percent. That means that a full 93 percent of all colleges and universities in the U.S. lack any support services for LGBT students. The researchers also found significant numbers of LGBT students, staff and faculty seriously considered leaving their institutions because of negative attitudes toward LGBT people.
Luckily, the UW is among that 7 percent. We have a lot to be thankful for on this campus. We have devoted LGBT student services, we live in what many would consider the gay mecca of the Midwest and we even have several out leaders in our university. But things around here aren't perfect, and there is always work to be done. While our university has by and large escaped large-scale public scandals involving homophobia, we need to recognize that it exists right here in Madison. And yes, even we can be problematic.
We should be challenging ourselves and our neighbors each day to think about our actions and our language, and how they affect others. When someone says, ""That's gay!"" call them out on it. And don't stop there: if you hear someone say something racist, sexist, ableist, xenophobic, anti-Christian, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-folks-from-Illinois, call them and yourself out. When you think about it, we're a pretty small family of Badgers and it's our job to help each other become better citizens and people. We can do it if we have a conversation about it.
No one should be made to feel unsafe, but especially not at school. School is to be a place for growth, both intellectually and spiritually, and if someone is made the target of intolerance and ignorance, that growth will be impeded. The LGBT Campus Center will hold a vigil Wednesday Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. on Library Mall to remember victims of bullying and to raise awareness of the issue. This event will be a time to come out and listen to stories from people who have been bullied themselves, discuss the effect it has had on their lives, and hopefully begin to end bullying on our campus.
But let's not think that bullying only happens to gay kids, because it doesn't. It happens to anyone who is perceived to be ""different."" Heck, it even happens to the bullies. So while we're remembering those we've lost and thinking about those who live with the torment of bullying every day, let's think carefully about how we all contribute to the problem by either participating in bullying ourselves or by ignoring bullying when we see it.
So SP, I imagine this wasn't exactly the answer you were looking for, but I think it was something that needed saying. To return to your question, I think the best way to meet other gay people is to be a gay person, comfortable with yourself, a person who takes a stand when they see injustice and someone who can see that things, to borrow a phrase, will get better.
