Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues on Campus: Making the Private Public
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2007
Abstract
Universities striving to create more inclusive environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals face several common challenges. One major challenge is simply the difficulty many faculty, students, and campuses have discussing LGBT issues in a public forum. The inability to address these issues, for whatever reason, both hinders university efforts to understand LGBT community members, and guarantees that our students will not have the opportunity to learn about, discuess, and debate a topic of critical social, political, and economic importance. The reasons for the difficulty in discussing LGBT issues are varies, and often quite personal. Perhaps core to the issue, however, is that many individuals, both within and outside the LGBT community, hold the belief that one's (LGBT) sexual orientation is a private matter not to be discussed in a public venue.