The Observer, October 14, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7
Case not Queer as Folk, but accepting of LGBTQ culture
Throughout my life I have had to deal with many experiences that were centered on my sexuality. Coming to Case and witnessing first hand its openness and acceptance of gay individuals has been a wonderful change. Don't be fooled: Case isn't your typical episode of Queer as Folk, but it's not nearly a gay hell either. The campus as a whole seems very accepting of gay individuals. One wonderful example of this is the recent complete success of the "Gay? Fine by Me" T-shirt campaign. Case even offers many services and activities for the gay community. A few examples of these programs are Safe Zone and Spectrum.
The Safe Zone program at Case is meant to raise awareness within the faculty and staff about LGBTQ issues, so that they can aid LGBTQ students. In other words this program enables students to be able to talk about their sexuality with an administrator.
I personally think this is a wonderful program and shows Case's initiative of becoming a more open campus. However, I do believe that the Safe Zone program should be expanded. The program should include RAs and upperclassman that are willing to participate in the program. I personally would be more comfortable talking about my sexuality to someone who is closer in age, and who is in the same place as me. I am sure others feel this way, which is why this would be an advantageous addition to the Safe Zone program.
Spectrum is the resident gay/straight alliance on campus. Their main goal is to raise tolerance and acceptance of the gay community on campus. Spectrum is responsible for producing many LGBTQ activities on campus. Mainly, Spectrum is a social group on campus for the gay community. Unfortunately, Spectrum does not participate in any activist activities. I believe that Spectrum would be more visible on campus if it included some activist goals. On the other hand, Spectrum does succeed in getting the entire campus involved in LGBTQ act-ivities, such as Drag Ball.
Besides the programs that the university offers, another aspect of campus life is the gay social scene, which is actually quite wonderful. One of the main reasons for this is the multitude of freshmen who are comfortable being out (Of course it would also help if there were more gay guys on campus and fewer straight men that I could have crushes on). We hang out, go clubbing, and do all that other wonderful stuff. If there isn't anything exciting to do on campus we can go either to Grid or Bounce, the gay-oriented clubs downtown. Truly, Case isn't Queer as Folk, but what more can you ask for from a college in Cleveland (though a gay fraternity would be a wonderful addition to the campus).
In the end, as a whole, being gay on campus is enjoyable: there isn't much animosity towards gay students and everyone seems generally accepting. However, I would like to make a suggestion to all those straight students out there: don't be afraid of any gay person you meet. All those stereotypes are completely wrong, and we're not going to jump on top of you or attack you. Since today is the tail end of Coming Out Week, be supportive of any of your friends that come out. We are probably the most fun group of people that you would ever meet, so give us a chance and go out today with an open mind.
