The history of LGBTQ groups and associations on college campuses is inextricably entwined with the nation’s often repressive and sometimes violent treatment of LGBTQ individuals. Just as they did in the broader community, gays, lesbians and transgender individuals on college campuses had to make difficult choices about whether they would be out — and potentially be subject to violence and discrimination as a result — or hide their true identity.
Homosexuality was viewed for many years as a crime or mental illness, as it still is in some corners of the world. Illinois was the first state to decriminalize “homosexual acts” between consenting adults in 1962, even though the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental disorder until 1973.
Recent victories, such as the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in 2010 and the Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage in 2015, marked the culmination of years of activism and sacrifice to change these beliefs and norms. Changes such as these signal that the LGBTQ community is becoming a more accepted and visible part of the fabric of American life, but, nevertheless, there is much work to be done.
Over the years, faculty and staff LGBTQ caucuses, or standing committees as they are sometimes known, have been instrumental in encouraging college administrations to create more inclusive campus cultures, protect sexual orientation and gender identity through non-discrimination policies, and recognize LGBTQ organizations and individuals as full-fledged campus partners.
According to Shane Windmeyer, director of Campus Pride, a North Carolina-based organization that advocates for LGBTQ rights on college and university campuses across the country, LGBTQ faculty and staff caucuses have been in existence on some campuses since the 1990s, often hand in hand with LGBTQ student organizations.
Having both types of organizations is the most effective means of advocating for change, Windmeyer says.
“Faculty and staff groups are important because they provide longevity, they provide institutional memory, and they provide an ongoing support mechanism, so that students feel supported,” Windmeyer says. “But I always say that we have to have a team approach in order to be successful in changing things on college campuses.”
