Features Reporter
This J-Term, students will have the opportunity to take the first LGBT history course offered at CMU. The course, SOCI 396: LGBT 101, is not only the first class of its kind to be offered in school history, but also stemmed from instances of violent acts that have happened both on and off campus to members of the LGBT community.
According to instructor and Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) co-advisor Sarah Swedberg, last February’s attack on lesbian student Chelsea Gallagher by former CMU football player Shane Williams is one of the reasons why CMU professors came up with the idea to offer a LGBT history course.
“There weren’t very strong responses to the attack,” Swedberg said. “We realized we needed to do more education and awareness.”
Gallagher’s attack last year was not the only physical violence against someone in the LGBT community on campus. According to Swedberg, the former GSA president was attacked last year at the Homecoming Bonfire. Because of the events that transpired, Swedberg will be the lead instructor of the one-credit course. This course will be taught by more than one professor and will be taught more like an open forum.
Other professors include Adele Cummings and Robin Calland. Because there is more than one instructor for the course, all instructor pay will be donated to One Colorado, which is “an organization dedicated to securing and protecting equality for LGBT Coloradans and their families,” according to their website.
“Instead of trying to split up the pay between all of us, we just decided to donate all the income earned to One Colorado, which will help with anti-violence projects, Swedberg said.
Swedberg and GSA co-advisor Mike Mansheim discussed the course with GSA members.
“I’m excited about the LGBT 101 course and plan on enrolling,” GSA President Casey Sadahiro said. “I think it’s a great way for more people, especially those outside the LGBT community, to learn more about LGBT history and their queer friends, colleagues and family members. It’s great that CMU is offering this, and it fits nicely with the GSA’s effort this year to increase campus awareness and education about LGBT issues.”
Part of the LGBT 101 course will be developing safe-zone training for faculty and staff. In the future, Swedberg is hoping to turn it into a permanent three-credit course.
“It’s a long process, so I don’t foresee it happening soon,” Swedberg said. “I would really like to see between 20-25 students sign up for the course. Everyone is welcome. You don’t have to be LGBT.”
Thank you for the excellent article on the J-Term course, LGBT 101 (LGBT = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) published in your October 30 edition. I have two corrections:
The first is that this is an LGBT Studies course. the course will incorporate history, but it not solely a history course.
The second is that, as I stated in the interview, the faculty salary for this course will be donated to the Colorado Anti-Violence Program (CoAVP). The article incorrectly listed the recipient as One Colorado. One Colorado is a fantastic organization, working to secure and protect rights for all Coloradans. However, because the idea for the course was sparked by two known violent incidents–one against a gay man and one against a lesbian, one at an official CMU event and one off-campus–we decided to support CoAVP.
According to the CoAVP website (coavp.org): “Since 1986 the Colorado Anti-Violence Program has been dedicated to eliminating violence within and against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities in Colorado, and providing the highest quality services to survivors.”
When we contacted the Colorado Anti-Violence Program after the off-campus incident last spring, they offered their services to us, and helped us run the first anti-violence workshop on campus. While some in the administration allegedly dismissed the CoAVP as a “special interest group,” the CoAVP can only be characterized as a special interest group if you believe human rights and anti-violence work characterize special interests.
The forum the CoAVP helped with last Spring was powerful, moving, and a first step to changing the campus climate that has tended to remain silent when bias-motivated acts of hate or violence have occurred. Because of all of their hard work here and in the state of Colorado, they are the organization we have chosen to support.
Sincerely,
Sarah Swedberg