Gay and lesbian student group seeking lounge on campus
Jessica Nicholson
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: News
Members of Eastern's gay and lesbian community are hard at work petitioning and fundraising to bring a student lounge on campus.
The space, designated the Alphabet Lounge, is envisioned as a welcoming and socializing center open to all, said Samantha Ratcliffe and Farah Ardeshir, two students on the Alphabet Lounge Committee.
The lounge would serve as a place where people could learn about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
The idea for the Alphabet Lounge came about when Ratcliffe, a sophomore occupational therapy major from Nicholasville, and Ardeshir, a sophomore political science major from Berea, were asked to design an activism project in their women and gender studies class last fall.
"The purpose of the Alphabet Lounge is to have a space that encompasses the gay and lesbian communities' needs not fully being met by the Multicultural Center," Ardeshir said. "We have a vast culture and we need to be recognized on Eastern's campus."
The Lounge draws its name from the lengthy acronym LGBTQQI, which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, and intersex.
"This space is open and created for all students," Ratcliffe said. "It would be run by trained student workers and would be open as a relaxing environment where students could come, read, study, and hang out."
Eastern administration is working with Alphabet Lounge Committee members to find the space needed for the Alphabet Lounge. The committee hopes to find space in Powell Student Center, much like that designated for Older, Wiser Learners (OWLS), the university's nontraditional student group.
The committee hopes the lounge will serve to connect and strengthen the gay and lesbian communities on campus and reduce negative dialogue and attitudes directed toward gay and lesbian issues.
Members of the committee said they are trying to prove that not only would the Lounge reduce prejudice toward Eastern's gay and lesbian community, but it would also serve to demonstrate the activity of the gay and lesbian community on campus.
The space, designated the Alphabet Lounge, is envisioned as a welcoming and socializing center open to all, said Samantha Ratcliffe and Farah Ardeshir, two students on the Alphabet Lounge Committee.
The lounge would serve as a place where people could learn about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
The idea for the Alphabet Lounge came about when Ratcliffe, a sophomore occupational therapy major from Nicholasville, and Ardeshir, a sophomore political science major from Berea, were asked to design an activism project in their women and gender studies class last fall.
"The purpose of the Alphabet Lounge is to have a space that encompasses the gay and lesbian communities' needs not fully being met by the Multicultural Center," Ardeshir said. "We have a vast culture and we need to be recognized on Eastern's campus."
The Lounge draws its name from the lengthy acronym LGBTQQI, which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, and intersex.
"This space is open and created for all students," Ratcliffe said. "It would be run by trained student workers and would be open as a relaxing environment where students could come, read, study, and hang out."
Eastern administration is working with Alphabet Lounge Committee members to find the space needed for the Alphabet Lounge. The committee hopes to find space in Powell Student Center, much like that designated for Older, Wiser Learners (OWLS), the university's nontraditional student group.
The committee hopes the lounge will serve to connect and strengthen the gay and lesbian communities on campus and reduce negative dialogue and attitudes directed toward gay and lesbian issues.
Members of the committee said they are trying to prove that not only would the Lounge reduce prejudice toward Eastern's gay and lesbian community, but it would also serve to demonstrate the activity of the gay and lesbian community on campus.
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robert southwood
posted 4/30/09 @ 9:12 PM EST
It is social injustice and discrimination against any group to be denied a space on campus to meet, it should and cannot be based upon negative langauage recieved, did the chess club or the social work club get their space because of negative language about chess or social work. (Continued…)
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