Roesch Library celebrates UD\u27s support of the LGBTQ+ community with a new historical display

McKinnon, Jim

English

University of Dayton

University of Dayton eCommons University Libraries Blog Archive University Libraries 10-1-2023 Coming Out On Display Jim McKinnon University of Dayton, jmckinnon1@udayton.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/ul_blog eCommons Citation McKinnon, Jim, "Coming Out On Display" (2023). University Libraries Blog Archive. 460. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/ul_blog/460 This Blog is brought to you for free and open access by the University Libraries at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in University Libraries Blog Archive by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact mschlangen1@udayton.edu, ecommons@udayton.edu. 1/5Coming Out On Displayudayton.edu/blogs/libraries/2023-09-23-lgbt.phpSunday October 1, 2023By Jim McKinnonOn October 11, the University of Dayton community will celebrate National Coming Out Dayfor the 30th time. The University Libraries are marking the occasion with a display on RoeschLibrary’s first floor for LGBT History Month (October) highlighting UD’s support of theLGBTQ+ community.The Importance of National Coming Out DayFirst celebrated in 1988 to mark the first anniversary of the National March on Washingtonfor Lesbian and Gay Rights, the annual Oct. 11 commemoration is a reminder that one of theLGBTQ+ community’s most basic and powerful tools in the quest for equality, inclusion andjustice is visibility — coming out.Coming out to family and friends should be easy, right? That’s not always the case. ManyLGBTQ+ people don’t feel comfortable coming out. They may feel like their family andfriends won’t be supportive or understanding, or they may be afraid of alienating others.2/5Many people feel alone in their struggle to come out — yet often, the internal struggle ismore traumatic than family and friends’ reactions. UD is doing what it can to help thosestruggling with the coming out process.In 1994, the University joined 125 other universities to celebrate National Coming Out Dayon campus for the first time. Since then, it has been celebrated each year; in 2022, LGBTQ+students, faculty, staff and allies including President Eric Spina convened for a group photo.October 11, 2022 — The first University sponsored National Coming Out Day photo for students,faculty and staffAs an archivist here at UD, I’m trying to collect stories of our LGBTQ+ community, both pastand present. Here, I provide some context and share some moments in UD history I’ve foundby using archival collections such as Flyer News and University documents. ‘Flyer News’ Ad, 1988Prior to 1988, no support group existed on campus for lesbian or gay students. In January1988, a small classified ad in the Flyer News shared information about a new LGBT supportgroup, providing no group name, contact information, location or meeting time – only a P.O.Box. If anyone wanted to be a part of the group, they had to mail in their name and contactinformation to receive instructions. It seems so archaic, so secretive, like an undergroundsociety of sorts, but the University did not yet formally support LGBT students. One potentialreason for the secrecy was fear: In 1988, the AIDS epidemic took 32,399 lives; that’s anaverage of 88.76 lives per day. While not every gay man had AIDS or even HIV, gay menwere shunned, and people routinely made assumptions about their disease status. Being3/5gay or lesbian in the 1980s was not always safe; those starting the campus support groupand those who attended the meetings could have feared assault or harassment had thegroup been more public. Classified Ad from Flyer News, Thursday, Jan. 21, 1988BGLAD, 1993I have been corresponding with a UD alumnus, Bill Bobowicz (’95, ’97), to learn more abouthis experiences as a student at UD. In 1993, after returning from the March on Washingtonfor Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation, Bill recalls feeling motivated andwanted to do something for the gay community at UD. He told me that he had a conversationwith longtime campus minister Father Jim Russell, S.M., about forming a new support groupon campus. Father Jim was supportive, so he, Bill and a few other students began meetingand planning. BGLAD, short for Bisexuals, Gays and Lesbians at Dayton, was then formedas the first University-sponsored campus group to support the gay and lesbian community. SGA Resolution, 2014The University has made great strides in making sure all students are accepted for who theyare and feel safe on campus. In 2014, the Student Government Association issuedResolution: SR 1314-12, which called upon the University to (1) hire a full-time facultycoordinator whose sole responsibility was to facilitate and promote LGBT services and4/5programs on campus; (2) form a task force to investigate the campus climate for lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender students and make recommendations on how to improve theclimate for these students; and (3) remain apprised of the above-mentioned requests andremain committed to achieving these goals. ‘In the Family Spirit,’ 2022The University has committed greater support to LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff sincethe 2014 resolution. In 2022, the University released a statement, “In the Family Spirit” — theUniversity of Dayton framework for LGBTQ+ policies, practices and communication. Thestatement opens with: It is important for the University to formally articulate its philosophy of why and how wesupport our LGBTQ+ community. Our approach is grounded in our Catholic, Marianistmission — which includes honoring the intrinsic value of all people and fostering acommunity where all people feel respected as children of God. This rationale stems from ourmission as a university where rigorous intellectual inquiry and vigorous dialogue occur.Your Story, TodayUniversity Archives would love to hear from you, whether you’re a member of the LGBTQ+community or an ally, to learn more about your experience at UD. If you have any materialyou wish to donate to the archives, we would love to talk to you. You may have flyers ornotes from a BGLAD meeting or photos of yourself and friends on campus — they’reimportant to us. Our hope is to eventually have a larger exhibit, complete with a timeline andmemorabilia documenting the LGBTQ+ experience at UD. Please reach out to me atarchives@udayton.edu or 937-229-4267. 5/5UD catering provided rainbow-colored cookies for National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, 2022Read and view more:Read coverage of the 1988 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi EqualRights and Liberation in an article in The New York Times (Note: if you’re a current UDstudent or a member of the faculty or staff, you can subscribe to the New York Timesfor free). To see more about LGBTQ+ history at UD, visit the display case off the first-floor lobbyof Roesch Library near the leisure reading section, through October 31.— Jim McKinnon is the associate University archivist in University Archives and SpecialCollections.  

Coming Out On Display

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Coming Out On Display

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