The fight for marriage equality is a top priority for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Ally community nationwide, but according to office coordinator Julia Keleher, at the University of Idaho, the fight is for greater inclusion and acceptance for individuals within the university community.
Amrah Canul | Argonaut
Emerald Sargeant, left, and other Vandals prepare lunch for the LGBTQA Lavender Lunch Thursday in the Office of Multicultural Affairs Student Diversity Center.
The UI LGBTQA office was founded in order to give members of the university community a safe environment on campus where they can explore aspects of sexual orientation and gender identity without judgment, according to the UI website. They work to fulfill their vision of full inclusion of LGBTQ students, faculty and staff — and based on ratings released by Campus Pride, the office is successful.
“A month ago or so I updated our Campus Pride index and we got four out of five stars,” Keleher said. “Getting a four out of five was not only a testament to the work this office has done, but also the support we have from our administration.”
In October we had our National Coming Out Day and we had a large group of administrators there supporting the event.”
The Lavender Lunch program was started by the former office coordinator to give LGBTQ individuals, as well as straight people and allies, a chance to take a break to hang out and talk about issues within the community.
“It is a great chance to hang out, relax and talk with fellow Gay Straight Alliance members,” said UI freshman Trevor Cleveland.
Keleher said that she believes that the lunches serve a very important function — giving the LGBTQ community on campus a chance to bond, providing them with a tight knit support system within the greater university community. Cleveland said this carries over to Gay Straight Alliance meetings where everyone seems to be on the same page.
Every third Thursday of the month, the LGBTQA office holds OUTLunches, where a guest speaker talks about LGBTQ issues.
“Our OUTLunches are done for the semester,” Keleher said. “The week before Thanksgiving, we had a community member come in and talk about her journey as a transsexual woman. We had an associate dean of the law school, Jeffrey Dodge, come and talk about being out in the legal field. Then at our first OUTLunch in September our guest Mo Hendrickson talked about mental health and wellness within the community and her own life.”
The LGBTQA Office also throws a Lavender Graduation in spring semester. They bring in a speaker and give students certificates and rainbow tassels.
“It is a way to kind of recognize their leadership and contribution to the LGBTQA community while recognizing that they are graduating,” Keleher said. “It is actually open to anyone who signs up.”Lavender Lunches are 12:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Student Diversity Center. They are open to everyone. Attendants are welcome to bring their own lunches or enjoy a free peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Andrew Deskins can be reached at [email protected]