LGBT students, faculty mingle at banquet

A gay family member of Katherine Hemminger, a first-year psychology and criminal justice student, passed away without being open about his sexuality. Since then Hemminger said she has accepted gay rights issues as her own.

When Hemminger came to VCU, she joined Queer Action because “I’ve always believed certain things about homosexuals,” she said. “I’ve always been passionate about it.”

About Queer Action, she said, “I was like ‘Oh it’s meant for me.’ ”

At Tuesday’s LGBT Welcome Reception, students like Hemminger mingled with lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people along with supporters of LGBT issues.

“This is really the first social thing I’ve done (at VCU),” she said.

While this was the fifth banquet the Subcommittee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues has sponsored, it was its first as an Equity and Diversity Committee.

“We’re sort of, kind of legitimate this year,” Marrianne Miller, associate professor of management and subcommittee member, said then laughed.

Miller said one of her main goals for the banquet was to open lines of communication between the subcommittee and LGBT student groups on campus. Members of both the Sexual Minority Student Alliance and Queer Action attended the banquet.

Subcommittee member David Benson, director of administration and communications for academic technology, said the student groups and faculty subcommittee have “been working pretty independently” in the past.

“We hope that they would see the committee as a resource,” he said.
Micah McCreary, assistant vice provost for diversity, and Stephen Gottfredson, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, spoke during the reception that was in Commonwealth Ballroom A of the University Student Commons.

McCreary encouraged student activism, which members of Queer Action do with lobbying projects and debates.

“We need student activism. Don’t burn the place down because the buildings are new,” he said. “Keep your voice.”

Gottfredson spoke about VCU as a big place but “a small family that looks out for one another. That takes care of one another.”

“I’m glad that you’re a part of my family,” he told the audience.

Chia Fu, a sophomore biology and mathematics major, said the number of gay and lesbian faculty members who attended was encouraging.

“I think it’s by far one of the best ideas,” he said, about getting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and faculty together. “It’s definitely an eye-opener.”

Fu wanted students to know that “straight people are allowed (in SMSA). We want to create an understanding.”

Dylan Comstock, an 18-year-old undeclared first-year student, has been openly gay for four years. In high school he was a gay rights activist in a small town.

“I want to take advantage of the resources at VCU,” said Comstock, a member of Queer Action and SMSA. “It’s a nice support network.”

He said heterosexuals should “come out straight” to support LGBT issues.

“Homophobia does horrible things for not just homosexuals, but to everyone,” Comstock said. “Heterosexual allies should be aware that they are affected negatively by hate-speak as well.”

Last year, the issue of benefits for unmarried partners was pushed through Faculty Senate. Chris Burnside, assistant dean for student affairs for the School of the Arts and a subcommittee member, said this year the subcommittee is working to get partners of faculty members the ability to use the Stuart C. Siegel Center for free, as husbands and wives of faculty do.

“That issue is here at VCU. That issue is certainly present in Virginia,” Burnside said.

He said the amount of students who attended the banquet was encouraging. About 60 faculty, students and staff attended.

“I was really glad for the turnout,” Burnside said. “The students are why we’re all here. It’s really exciting to see that the issues of our community are being addressed more openly than when I was 18.”