OUT in Thought and Action

A little update. I will be serving on the first ever Advisory Board of the LGBTQ organization at my University. I believe the advisory board will provide the LGBTQA students-on board, a forum to debate and discuss issues of concern to our community. I also believe that this will give the students and other academic members at large, the agency to devise and employ measures that could help resolve some of the challenges in broadening the public understanding of alternate sexuality.

The strength of the student body in one of the top and most gay-friendly Research Universities such as mine is its diversity, and this is represented in both student composition and their inter-disciplinary scholarship. While the latter is often a matter of academic interest, the former for most part is not, and this is where problems, opportunities and issues arise. In most Campus settings, students don’t always get to live with people of their own choosing. As such, many find it difficult to deal with anything lesser-known or “alternate” - especially if this concerns sexuality. In situations such as these, they are also more likely to express fear, which becomes most difficult to address when expressed in spaces otherwise perceived to be most safe – classrooms/studios, seminar rooms and university housing.

It is imperative then for all of us from within our community to start sharing our concerns, begin telling stories from our personal experiences and continue talking to each other about issues that need to be addressed. Only then would we be able to make well informed arguments and devise strategies toward shaping a better and a more tolerant tomorrow. This is precisely where I see myself contributing and how I see myself benefitting from this new opportunity. I hope with the rest of the group on-board, we are able to continue in our efforts towards shaping an environment inclusive of one and all.

Cheers!