Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association

Reaching Out

An e-Newsletter by the IU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association

Spring!April, 2013
In This Issue
1. IDS Article
2. IUPUI LGBT Faculty Staff Council
3. Tribute to Evertt Koop
4. Facebook
5. Did You Know?
6. Member Notes
7. Mark Your Calendar
8. Sigma Phi Beta
9. GLBTAA Scholarships
10. Membership
Connect with us!

   

 

 

 

   

   

          
School of Public Health-Bloomington

 

 

The GLBTAA strives "to improve the lives of IU LGBT faculty, staff, students and alumni on all eight campuses."  We are especially proud of our Emergency Scholarship Program, whereby our LGBT students don't have to decide between living their lives openly and honestly and an IU education.  A front-page article about our Emergency Scholarship Program appeared in the Indiana Daily Student on February 26.  We are pleased to republish the article in paragraph #1 below. Yes, "major fundraising is in the process to strengthen the program for future recipients."  Exciting details about our fundraising campaign will follow in due course.  For more information about our scholarships, please see:

  http://alumni.indiana.edu/affiliates/glbt/supporting-community/scholarships.html 

 

Mike Shumate, GLBTAA President

[email protected]   

 

1. IDS Article, A Way Out
  
          

 

The following artice was published in the IUB Indiana Daily Student on February 26, 2013. With permission by student journalst Matt Bloom, the article is republished below.

 

 

(photo by Alex Hughes, IDS)

 

 

After three years at IU, she was going to drop out.

In May 2012, the end of her junior year, her parents said they weren't paying for school anymore.

They found out she had a girlfriend. 

The 21-year-old spent the summer figuring out how to support herself. 

"I met with a counselor who told me to drop out of school based on my financial situation," she said. "I went to class those first few weeks without knowing if I was going to be able to pay for them." 

Come August, unpaid bills began piling up. Her dream of getting into law school and becoming a child advocate would be just that - a dream. 

For the student who came out, the role of scholarship money was more than a financial boost. It was hope.  

To students paying their way through school, a scholarship can mean the difference between graduating and dropping out. 

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association's Emergency Scholarship is given to students who lose financial support when they reveal their sexual orientation to their families. Major fundraising is in the process to strengthen the program for future recipients. 

Within the past two years, the scholarship awarded more than $6,000 to IU students, said Rachael McAfee, director of IU alumni programs. 

"Our goal is to never turn anyone away from this award that needs it," McAfee said. 

The student ran into difficulties at the start of her search.  

She found options in a visit to the GLBT Student Support Services office. 

Many students in her situation turn to federal aid. She said counselors at the office helped her organize legal papers to file a dependency appeal form.  

Questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid determine whether a student is classified as self-supporting and thus entitled to financial aid from the government, according to the Office of Financial Assistance's website. 

But her appeal never came through. 

The site says a parent's unwillingness to pay tuition costs is not considered sufficient grounds alone to constitute a viable appeal. 

"They told me that the situation with my parents was just an argument," she said. "That we were going to get over it." 

The costs of tuition, room and board were impossible to handle alone, she said. 

She found support in the GLBT SSS office, ultimately leading to the financial aid she desperately needed. 

"It's hard when your life falls apart like that," she said. "You don't want to reach out. I just wanted to be done with it." 

She said without her girlfriend's support she never would have found the money to stay in school. 

The scholarship paid for a portion of her tuition and books for the fall semester. She said this year the funds covered law school applications. 

To graduate on time, she juggles classes and a full-time job to pay for expenses that used to be covered by her parents. 

"If this scholarship didn't exist I would not be in school right now," the student said. "They saved me."

 

When IU alumnus Sheldon Raisor left home for school in 2008, his father had one last thing to say to him. 

"As I was getting in the car, my dad proclaimed, 'With your recent declaration, I don't feel that you are worth the resources.'" 

This wasn't the first time his parents disowned a son for being gay. They did the same thing to his older brother. 

"I felt that my parents maybe would have changed and moved on from the need of disowning their second son," he said. 

This was something he talked about in his essay when he applied for the emergency scholarship. 

On the GLBTAA's website, the Emergency Scholarship guidelines state that any full-time or part-time undergraduate student is eligible to apply. Potential recipients must then contact the GLBT SSS to personally discuss their financial situation with Doug Bauder, the office's coordinator. 

IU's financial aid has dried up, making it harder for students claiming independent status to find monetary resources, he said. 

In response, the GLBTAA aims to strengthen its scholarship program. 

"It helps to ensure that students need not choose between their education at IU and living life openly and honestly," the guidelines state. 

Bauder said more money would be put toward non-need based academic scholarships as well as the emergency scholarships. 

Recipients are awarded a maximum of $1,500 each semester, according to scholarship guidelines. An individual can receive the award twice. 

Raisor received the emergency scholarship during his junior year. 

He also found that support from the community put him on a pathway to financial
independence. 

"The Residential Programs and Services Billing Department accommodated my situation so I wasn't evicted from lack of payment," Raisor said. 

He went on to become a founding member of Out at Kelley, the school's first undergraduate GLBT organization. 

"The scholarship is an emotional and financial safeguard for students when they feel like the entire world is against them," Bauder said. 

Raisor said the scholarship kept him in school and led to paid internships and a job after graduation. 

"Through my independence, I could work to improve my relationship with my parents," he said. "They came to my graduation."

 

Photographs of the student and her girlfriend, siblings and friends line her crowded fireplace mantle. 

Mom and dad are missing. 

The student spent the past six months reaching out to her parents through phone calls. Her attempts led to an occasional phone conversation and visits home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

The holidays were the first time she saw her parents since they cut her off at the beginning of summer. 

"The real heartfelt conversations between us are left for someone else now," she said. 

She said she hopes that someday they'll be able to talk to her parents like that again. 

"For a while, it was really hard to admit that they weren't going to help me or be a part of my life," she said. 

Her parents' attitude has improved since she achieved complete financial independence from them. She said their communication no longer revolves around her finances. 

"Since I'm independent, I can call when I want, tell them what I want, and if they act a certain way to me, I don't speak to them," she said. "It's a healthier relationship." 

Tacked on the wall of her living room are the words "never give up." 

"The community here is really supporting," she said. "If you have questions or fears, go to the office and talk to someone." 

She said she wants to be an advocate for children everywhere. 

"I want to step in and be the person to help victims of domestic violence or other tragedies," she said. 

It's her way of giving back to the people at IU that saved her. 

"I've never been happier than now," she said. "It's experiences like this when you find out who really cares about you."

 

 

 

2. IUPUI LGBT Faculty Staff Council   

                                              

                            

Professor Sheila Seuss Kennedy presiding at 2012 Harvey Milk Dinner

  

 

About six years ago faculty and staff at IUPUI began discussions to begin a network for faculty and staff who identify as LGBT.  Thanks to the tireless efforts of several individuals, the council was established and recognized by Chancellor Charles Bantz.  The LGBT Faculty Staff Council (FSC) is now one of five affinity councils recognized by the campus to address the specific issues of faculty and staff. Annually applauded as one of the most active councils at IUPUI, the FSC hosts a number of programs annually to help improve the campus climate for those who identify as gender or sexual minorities.  

 

Speaker, Dr. Kand McQueen

Some of FSC's notable accomplishments include: (i) the challenge of the campus' United Way Campaign to fund the Boy Scouts of America; (ii) advocacy efforts to address the issues of a campus Chick-fil-A; (iii) a successful mini-grant program for faculty, staff, and students pursuing projects to improve the campus climate for LGBT individuals; (iv) the inclusion of LGBT-themed collaborative programming during Black History Month programming ; and (v) the creation of a new campus tradition - the Harvey Milk Dinner during LGBT Heritage Month in October. The GLBTAA is proud to have joined efforts in 2012 to help host a very successful pre-dinner reception.

 

The FSC continues to be busy.  As the second half of the 2013 spring semester commences, it will be electing new officers to lead its various initiatives.  We encourage you to track FSC's progress online at http://www.iupui.edu/~lgbtfsc/

and will look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on October 10, 2013, at the IUPUI Campus Center for the reception and Fourth Annual Harvey Milk Dinner.  

 

 

One group having fun at Harvey Milk Dinner reception

 

3. Tribute to Evertt Koop 
                                                             

             

  

Jeanne White, Dr. Koop and Bill Yarber

  

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died February 26. GLBTAA member William Yarber, Professor in IU's Department of Applied Science, Senior Director of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention ("RCAP") and Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute, met and presented Dr. Koop with the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award in 2010 on behalf of RCAP within the IU School of Public Health Bloomington.

 

"I recognize that Dr. Koop received a lot of awards for his work, but I sensed that he was genuinely touched to get this honor because it was named for Ryan White, and his mother, Jeanne White Ginder, and I were there to present it to him," said Mr. Yarber. "He was a very humble person and a person very appreciative of public health efforts."

 

Through the subsequent establishment of a Surgeon General C. Everett Koop HIV/AIDS Research Grant program at IU, Yarber said he had the good fortune of getting to know the most influential surgeon general in U.S. history on a bit of a personal level. "That only increased my admiration for him and his leadership as one of the most effective surgeon generals ever. He was very much the gentleman and was very approachable to everyone," Mr. Yarber said.

 

"He put the needs of the country ahead of politics and was very, very courageous," Yarber said. "He was the kind of person who only comes along once in a generation."

 

"Koop turned out to be a scientist who believed in data at least as deeply as he believed in God," writer Michael Specter wrote in the New Yorker online. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Koop advocated sex education for children as young as third grade -- and included condom education as part of the curriculum.

 

While saddened by Koop's death, IU's Yarber said he feels honored that IU will have an ongoing link to his legacy, not only through the Ryan White award but the HIV/AIDS Research Grants in his name. Ryan White was the Kokomo teen who was banned from his middle school -- and taunted by children and adults alike -- after contracting AIDS through blood transfusions to treat his severe hemophilia. He became an inspiring advocate for AIDS education until his death in 1990.

 

"Our endowed grants in honor of Dr. Koop will exist in perpetuity," Yarber said. "I'm extremely pleased that we will be able to honor Dr. Koop in this way. He was certainly a hero and a giant in our field. What a gift to public health and to the American people."

 

  

4. Facebook

 

The GLBTAA has had a Facebook page for some time now, but some of you may not be aware of it.  If you haven't already done so, check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/iuglbtaa.  "Like" our page and then you will automatically get our Facebook posts regarding news, updates and information of our events.

 

Like us on Facebook

5. Did You Know? 
 
Religion and Masturbation.  A 2003 book reviews what has been written about masturbation in medicine, law, philosophy, religion and the social sciences.  Adam Fisher is a PhD student in Counseling Psychology at IU.  Adam reviews the book's findings regarding masturbation from five different religious traditions on
Kinsey Confidential at:
  
Health and Same-sex Marriage.  Same-sex cohabiters reported being less healthy than those in heterosexual marriages of the same socioeconomic status, according to a survey published February 27 in the Journal of Health and Science Behavior.
  
"In general, literature states marriage is good for health," said Hui Liu, lead author of the study and assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University in East Lansing. "We cannot expect the health benefits associated with marriage to occur for same-sex couples if they cannot get married." She said that although several reasons could explain the results, the inability to get married is one of the main reasons researchers believe same-sex cohabiters reported their health as being poorer than heterosexual married couples.

The researchers obtained the data from National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) of same-sex couples conducted from 1997-2009. In the surveys, over 3,000 NHIS respondents rated their overall health as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor. Researchers found that the odds of reporting poor or fair health was about 61 percent higher for same-sex cohabiting men and 46 percent for same-sex cohabiting women.

Researchers suggested that legalizing gay marriage could improve the overall health of same-sex couples. 

They said the inability legally to marry presents barriers in obtaining health insurance benefits via an employed spouse. As a result, this could increase out-of-pocket costs linked with health care services and create a financial barrier to timely, high-quality health care.

Researchers also reported that legalized gay marriage could improve same-sex self-rating because of psychological effects.  "Dealing with the social stigmas around same-sex couples is an issue," Liu said. "Legalizing gay marriage may reduce the stigmas of homosexuality which could then reduce the psychological affects on same-sex cohabiters." 

  
Brian Powell, Professor in IU's Department of Sociology and co-author of Counted Out: Same-sex Relations and Americans' Definition of Family, said Liu's hypothesis is consistent with research he has done.

Dr. Powell has found that only 33 percent of Americans considered same-sex cohabiters without children a family, compared to about 93 percent for heterosexual marriages without children. But married same-sex couples were considered a family 66 percent of the time. For unmarried same-sex coup[les with a child, 63 percent of Americans considered them a family. Nearly 100 percent considered heterosexual marriages with children a family, he said. But for married same-sex couples with children, 80 percent considered them a family. "Marital status means something, Dr. Powell said. "It gives legitimacy and authenticity to couples." 

 
6. Member Notes
    

Steve Sanders, who joined the faculty of the Maurer School of Law at Bloomington this spring, has additionally been appointed to the Affiliated Faculty of The Kinsey Institute, as well as the Department of Gender Studies. These appointments recognize Steve's research and teaching interests in law and sexuality. Affiliated Faculty appointments are intended to encourage interdisciplinary scholarly and teaching collaborations across IU's various schools and departments.                        

 

Anthony Smith was recently elected as Treasurer of the Monroe County Democratic Party.  Congratulations, Anthony!

 

Bryce Wininger, a fourth-year student at the IU School of Medicine, has matched into Psychiatry residency at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Bryce will be moving to Washington in June to join his partner, Eric Gonzaba, former GLBTAA intern, who is studying History at George Mason University. We're happy for you, Bryce and Eric, and very proud!   

 

 

Please send any proposed inserts for "Member Notes" to any one of the following:  Steve Bretthauer at [email protected]; Stephanie Burks at [email protected]; Tim Lemper at [email protected]; or Mike Shumate at [email protected].

7. Mark Your Calendar
Michael Guest
    

IU's new School of Global and International Studies, Maurer LGBT Alumni Advisory Board and Maurer OUTlaw are co-hosting an appearance and speech by retired Ambassador Michael Guest at the IU Maurer School of Law on Thursday, April 4 in the Moot Court room at 12:00 noon. Ambassador Guest was America's first openly gay, Senate-confirmed Ambassador (to Romania, 2001-04) and will talk about his thirty years in international affairs and the role of the United States in advocating for fairer, more equal treatment of LGBT people around the World. His speech is free and open to the public. 

 

 

 

Judy Shepard

 

The GLBTAA is proud to co-sponsor an IUB 

appearance by Judy Shepard.  In October, 1998, Judy Shepard's son Matthew was brutally murdered in an anti-gay hate crime.  Since her son's death, Judy has been an outspoken and effective activist for LGBT rights as well as human rights. Her biographical novel The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed was a New York Times best seller in 2009 and received critical  acclaim. Judy will be appearing in the Whittenberger Auditorium on April 10th from 7 - 8:30 p.m., followed by a book signing.            

 

 

  

Lambda Law Society at IU's Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis will host its Fifth Annual Miss IndyLaw Drag Show on Saturday, April 6. Proceeds will go to support Indiana Youth Group and the Damien Center. Both students and guest drag queens will perform. Students will compete to be crowned the Fifth Annual Miss IndyLaw and will be eligible for a cash prize.  The drag show is tentatively set to begin at 4:00 p.m. to accommodate students. A party is being planned after the show on Mass Ave. with a drink special supporting Indiana Youth Group and the Damien Center. Door cover is $5. Refreshments will be provided.  For additional information, contact Lambda Law Society at [email protected]



 

Rainbow Cycling team

 

Little 500 Rainbow Cycling
"I've attended Super Bowls, World Series and the Monaco Grand Prix, but the coolest event I ever attended was the Little 500" -Former Tour de France winner

 

Barack Obama visited the women's Little 500 in 2008,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYaSReRJXb0,

and made the crowd go wild.

 

This year you'll want to see the Rainbow Cycling Women in their 3rd straight appearance in this historic race!  The team was featured in paragraph #1 of the GLBTAA March Newsletter, which can be accessed under "Newsletter Archive" in the left margin. The 26th annual Women's Little 500 Race takes place on Friday, April 19, 2013 at 4:00 PM in Bill Armstrong Stadium. Get your tickets today and help us make Rainbow's cheering section the most colorful at the track!

 

Tickets are available at: http://iusf.indiana.edu/store/index.shtml

Don't miss out on the fun! Photo and video updates from the Rainbow Cycling team are available at: https://facebook.com/RainbowCycling 

 

 

Quarryland at Celebration Weekend

Quarryland Men's Chorus proudly presents Free to Love, a reflection on the recent strides and continued struggles of LGBT people. Each performance will feature the inspirational title song by composer Dean Johnson, Stephen Schwartz's reflective piece "Testimony" with lyrics from It Gets Better Project; Diane Benjamin's moving song "Are We Not Your Family?; a mash-up of the well-known ballads "You Are So Beautiful/Wind Beneath my Wings" and many other selections. There are two scheduled performances at the United Church in Bloomington on Saturday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are available through the BCT Box Office. Tickets will also be available at the door (cash or check only).  For more information, please see: 

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/events/126902940825742/ 

 

 

Indy Pride will be hosting its monthly membership mixer on Thursday, April 18 at Forty Five Degrees at 765 Mass Ave. (corner of Mass Ave. and College Ave.) from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m..  Enjoy free appetizers and half-priced martinis and learn about what is going on with Indy Pride and other local groups. The mixer is open to everyone!

  

 

 

Comedienne Sandra Bernhard will be appearing at the Buskirk-Chumley   Theater on Friday, April 19 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 for reserved seating and are available through the Theater's Box Office or can be purchased by phone at 812-323-3020 or online at www.bctboxoffice.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The annual Rainbow Dinner (compliments of The Olive Garden) for LGBT graduates and allies will be held on Wednesday, April 24 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Kelley Dining Room of the DeVault Alumni Center in Bloomington. Join us and other graduates for an enjoyable evening with comments by Eric Love, Diversity Educator with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, and Doug Bauder, Coordinator of the GLBT Office. And you will receive your very own "rainbow" tassel!  All you have to do is register by e-mailing Doug Bauder at [email protected] by Monday, April 22. 

 

 

8. Sigma Phi Beta
  
 
 
Sigma Phi Beta sponsored its first annual philanthropic drag show this February. Drag for Cause featured eight performers and raised funds for Indiana Youth Group, a non-profit organization supporting and empowering LGBTQ youth in the Indianapolis area through programs, support services, social and leadership opportunities, and community service. "Although we hope to raise money," Chapter Manager, Will Mruzek, explained, "we also hope to promote awareness and acceptance of LGBTQ people in Greek and campus life."   About 250 people attended the event. "The first year went so well that I can't wait to see the event two or three years from now," Will continued.
 
Sigma Phi Beta is IUB's only gay-allied fraternity. It strives to build character in LGBT male college students through social and meaningful activities that will empower them in their future endeavors. Each semester the members plan and complete community service and philanthropic events for area causes. The Beta Chapter will be conducting rush this coming fall. Contact Will at
[email protected] or checkout Sigma Phi Beta's Facebook page if you're interested in getting involved. The Facebook page is at: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/rushsigmaphibeta/?fref=ts 
 
Drag for Cause benefiting Indiana Youth Group
 
  
9. GLBTAA Scholarships

 

GLBTAA Academic Scholarships  Academic Scholarships are awarded to IU students enrolled at any IU campus, who are academically strong, as well as active in promoting diversity, tolerance and social justice. Scholarships are awarded to students based upon academic achievement, career goals, financial need, leadership experience, community service and extracurricular activities. Involvement in activities promoting diversity and raising awareness of GLBT and related issues on the student's campus or in his or her community is carefully reviewed by the Board. The maximum award for an Academic Scholarship is $1,000 per semester. An individual student may not receive more than $2,000. The deadline for the Fall 2013 semester is April 15, 2013.

  

IU GLBTAA Emergency Scholarships
Emergency Scholarships are awarded to those students who experience the loss of financial support when they make the courageous decision to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to their families. Emergency Scholarships help to ensure that students need not choose between their education at IU and living life openly and honestly. Emergency Scholarships are awarded to students attending any IU campus. The maximum award for an Emergency Scholarship is $1,500 per semester, and a student may not receive more than $3,000.
  
You can learn more about the GLBTAA Scholarships and apply online at: http://alumni.indiana.edu/affiliates/glbt/supporting-community/scholarships.html

 

10. Membership

 

Encourage your friends to join the GLBTAA. They can visit our website here  and join.  There are no membership dues, and you do not have to be a member of the IUAA. We are approaching 1,400 members, and we're growing! We appreciate your continued commitment! It is because of you that the GLBTAA is in existence, continues to grow and continues to serve our important mission on all eight of IU's campuses. If you are a member and wish to continue receiving our newsletters, please make sure we have a current e-mail address for you.   You can visit https://alumni.indiana.edu/my-iu/index.html to see if your official record, including your e-mail address, is current.  Thank you for your support through your membership. We look forward to serving you now and in the years to come. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Rachael McAfee at:[email protected]  or Mike Shumate at [email protected] .

 

If not already a member, please consider joining the IUAA by visiting https://alumni.indiana.edu/membership/index.html, by [email protected]  or calling (800) 824-3044. By joining the IUAA, among many other things, you help fund the various GLBTAA programs, along with gaining access to IUAA member-only events.

 

If you would like to unsubscribe and terminate future communications from the GLBTAA, please respond to:  [email protected].