Queer, straight alliance educates students on diversity
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/04/2009
sponsored by
One Purdue organization is teaching others to get the facts straight about what it means to be queer.
According to its members, Ally Association is Purdue’s queer and straight alliance. Its goal is to educate its members, as well as others, about sexual orientation, queer and gender expressionism issues.
Scott Gfell, a senior in the College of Technology, serves as secretary for Ally Association and has had several experiences while at Purdue that demonstrate what Ally tries to educate against: a lack of acceptance and ignorance to diversity.
“During Breakfast Club I was dressed as a woman and a man pushed me five times and told me I was gay and disgusting,” Gfell said. “Hearing the word ‘faggot’ yelled at you by moving cars isn’t exactly the most comforting thing either.”
Ally Association works to educate people on issues involving situations like these by holding training sessions. These are meant to help people be a better support and resource for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Community at Purdue.
Adam Wright, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts, is the president of Ally Association and contributes a large part to the training sessions. He joined the group as a sophomore when he started dating someone of the same gender.
“At this point in my life I was just starting to understand myself, but still had reservations about basically, being me,” Wright said.
Wright went to a training session, which is required of members. The trainings consist of being given a large range of information about diversity and sexual orientation terminology. Also at the sessions a group of panelists share their coming out stories to trainees, who are then able to ask questions.
Wright said the training helped him realize being bisexual is OK.
“I went through the training and it helped open my eyes that I am who I am and need to be proud and happy about myself,” Wright said.
Anyone interested in more information about Ally Association can visit its Web site, web.ics.purdue.edu/~ally/index.htm.