The Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Alliance on campus had its first meeting Thursday where students mingled with one another and listened to Lorraine Schroeder, program director of the LGBT Resource Center, who provided information about the center. The group will meet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday.
“I’m very excited about GLOBAL this semester,” said Huy Truong, GLOBAL’s president and business junior. “The officers and I have strategically planned out every meeting and fundraising event.”
Meetings are held in Room 250 of the University Center, but GLOBAL gathers at Calhoun Lofts on special occasions: game nights, movie nights and the highly anticipated speed-dating event on Valentine’s Day.
“I’ve been coming to GLOBAL since I was a freshman,” said biology sophomore Theodora Georgescu. “I enjoy the club because of the accepting environment and the fulfilling social interaction it provides.”
GLOBAL is definitely an accommodating environment; colorful polka-dotted fliers around campus herald the group’s acceptance of all students, regardless of gender identity or sexuality.
“I’m going to try to get more people to know about GLOBAL, to come and participate in our meetings and events,” Truong said. “I would like to bring more sophisticated guest speakers to educate our members about the issues that our community faces,” he said, citing the rise in sexually transmitted diseases and ignorance about the transgender community as two examples.
Schroeder is a long-time speaker for GLOBAL, always attending to remind students where the LGBT Resource Center is and how they can benefit from it.
“I love attending the GLOBAL meetings,” Schroeder said. “It is so refreshing to see all the students just being their LGBTQIA-selves (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual). It’s a great way to for new people to find friends and later get involved as leaders if they choose. Of course, students also learn about the activities at the LGBT Resource Center. It’s a win-win situation for both of us.”
Members exhibit a sense of anticipation for what the semester holds, including the Drag Show, a highly anticipated event held at the end of the semester.
“My friend Roxy Sparks is such an outstanding performer that she’s inspired me to perform in GLOBAL’s Drag Show this year,” said business sophomore Eric Pietsch.
The LGBT Resource Center, which is Room 279A in the UC, offers a lot to students, whether it is books and movies to check out, free information and condoms, an ear to listen or just a space for students to utilize in their free time.
