A rousing round of "Happy Birthday" will echo from Willard Hall room 334 on Friday, March 10, to mark the University of Colorado at Boulder Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center聮s five-year anniversary.
The center was born in 1995, three years after the passage of Amendment 2, a statewide anti-gay initiative. It was founded after a special task force felt a need to improve campus conditions for the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities.
The celebration will "frame an important day in the history of CU-Boulder, and in the lives of thousands who have contacted the center in hopes of learning more about themselves and the campus communities," said Beverly Tuel, the center聮s director.
Tuel said that although problems still exist, the center聮s impact at CU-Boulder has been significant. Though separate from the Resource Center, progress has been made regarding housing and insurance issues for same-sex couples and a GLBT Studies Certificate Program has been approved by the College of Arts and Sciences.
Staff members will celebrate with cake and party favors at the festivities, which will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Willard 334. The entire CU-Boulder community is invited to celebrate.
An historical perspective on the center is attached.
CU-BOULDER GLBT RESOURCE CENTER HISTORY
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder began operation approximately three years after the 1992 passage of the statewide anti-gay initiative, Amendment 2.
In 1993, under the direction of then Chancellor James Corbridge, a task force comprised of faculty, administrators, staff, students and community leaders was appointed to examine how the campus climate for gay, lesbian and bisexual employees and students could be improved. The task force identified a need for a central clearinghouse and advocacy office to support the on-campus gay, lesbian and bisexual communities and included among its several recommendations the creation of a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual (GLB) Resource Center.
In March 1995, the GLB Resource Center formally opened its doors to the CU-Boulder community. After the landmark Supreme Court decision which struck down Amendment 2 as unconstitutional, the GLB Resource Center formally changed its name to include the transgender community, hence the new name, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Resource Center.
A tremendous amount of groundwork was laid during the first three years of operation. Since March 1995, the GLBT Resource Center has become an equal partner in the daily workings of campus life and the greater Boulder
community, serving community members as frequently as on-campus individuals and groups. The center's visibility has increased, and is currently viewed as a central contact point for the GLBT communities.
TIMELINE
*1993: Chancellor's Task Force on LGB Issues assembled statistics and anecdotal evidence demonstrating a hostile climate for GLB people.
*1994: Chancellor Corbridge approved $60,000 to the GLB Resource Center. In April, 1994 the Board of Regents conducted a closed session with the chancellor, after which he withdrew funding and said that no general funds would be used to support the center.
*1994-1995: Fundraising efforts, led by Karen Raforth of the Multicultural Counseling Center, yielded enough money to open the center for one year.
*Feb. 1995: Joanna Duenas hired as half-time director of GLBRC.
*March 1, 1995: Opened doors in Willard Hall room 304 as the GLB Resource Center.
*1996: GLBRC added transgender to its title to become GLBTRC. Center traffic grew from 200 to 800 contacts and requests per month.
*Sept. 1997: Beverly Tuel hired as .75 FTE director. The center moved to Willard Hall room 334, doubling its space and size. With another move expected in the coming year, it is hoped that the center聮s space will increase again.
PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
*Since 1995, the GLBTRC has sponsored several awareness programs, including LesbiGayTrans Awareness Month in October, National Coming Out Day and the annual Lambda Rising GLBT studies conference in April. Other activities include a speaker聮s bureau, visitation day for high school students, helping with the Boulder Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Queer Arts Festival and Boulder Pride events that are now a part of the campus and community landscape. A mentor program that will match GLBT students, staff and faculty with GLBT and questioning students began in February.
*The center has assisted in developing and implementing campus-wide protocol for addressing bias motivated incidents.
*The center offers three student scholarships.
*The center is viewed as a resource and clearinghouse for GLBT communities, and media representatives often contact GLBTRC for comments on the effects of news items on GLBT people. For example, the director was quoted widely on the death of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard.
PROGRESS
Since the center opened, changes in campus climate have been evident, although problems still exist. Students now have the option to purchase health insurance for their partners in the same way that married students can purchase insurance for spouses. Same-sex couples can live together in family housing. GLB issues are included in administrative discussions and the GLBT Studies certificate program has been approved by the College of Arts and Sciences. However, staff and faculty still cannot get partner benefits, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is still legal and transgender issues remain hidden.