LGBTQ @ Mason

I attended a Provost-led discussion group with representatives of Mason's LGBTQ leadership/organization community, faculty, staff and administrators yesterday morning. My first thought was the group seemed small - about 20 participants, then my second thought was what a wonderful opportunity to have meaningful dialog on various issues.

As discussion was a bit stiff at the beginning, I raised my hand and asked the group - at large - what issues/concerns were typical for incoming LGBTQ freshemen (either those who had come "out" or those who had not come "out" even to themselves). Two freshmen raised their hands and relayed totally different experiences - one felt welcomed and the other had a terrrible time adjusting. This led to a discussion on what services were truly available to freshmen, and so forth. Interestingly, a lot of folks were surprised to learn that training and the sharing of information on resources for this community is inconsistent across the board. This opened up to another discussion on SafeZone training. Some of the students were not sure what it was and some faculty members had no idea of the programs existence.

I think what it comes down to is that there is a small dedicated group of people trying to get the word out, do the training, advocate for issues, and implement change with various groups within the university, with a limited staff and a very tight budget. Hmmm - putting your money where your mouth is seems to be a recurring theme within the realm of diversity programs. A lot of lipservice - but meaningful action to support the services needed - hard to see, hard to find.