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Out in the Mountains

   

Ask anyone who's been there: it's not
easy being gay and "out" in college. Most
gay and lesbian students on campuses
remain closeted for much or all of their
four-year stay, afraid to face the social
pressures that coming out would entail. At
Middlebury College, that means that nearly
200 gay, lesbian, and bisexual young
people will suppress their true sexual ori-
entations into their early twenties.

It is facts such as these that the Middle-
bury Gay/Lesbian/Straight Alliance
(MGLSA) hopes to teach the campus com-
munity, and in so doing fostera more recep-
tive and comfortable environment at the
College for gay and lesbian students.

The group's regular meetings provide
an outlet for students to discuss their expe-
riences, both in the dormitories and the
classrooms, and offers a means by which to
bring to the campus films, speakers, and
events of interest to the gay and lesbian
community there.

MGLSA Convener Jeffrey Spencer
was impressed by the large turnout at the
group's initial meeting this year. It was the
largest gathering in the history of the or-
ganization, which began in the late 70's as
"Gay People at Middlebury" and then dis-
banded, later to be reborn as MGLSA.

In order to increase awareness on
campus, several members of the group sent
a letter to the campus newspaper proclaim-
ing their existence and addressing issues of
homophobia in the academic setting.

MGLSA recently attracted an even
more significant amount of attention by
sponsoring Middlebury's first "Gay Jeans
Day" to coincide with National Coming
Out Day on October 11. Students, faculty,
and staff at the College were asked to wear
jeans on that day as a sign of support for gay
and lesbian rights.



roups Increase Gay Visibility at Middlebury College

Though the event met with mixed reac-
tions from the student body, it did inspire a
great deal of conversation and was thus
deemed a success. An open discussion was
held that afternoon, drawing a crowd of
approximately forty people, and an ex-
change of letters in the campus newspaper
signalled thatthe issue wouldnot fade away
overnight.

MGLSA has also helped to sponsor
and organize other events at the College
surrounding gay issues, including the re-
cent visit of Rev. Kim Harvie, who is her-
self a Middlebury alumna. Other gay and
lesbian alumni of Middlebury College will
return to the school on November 4 for a
panel discussion on being gay and lesbian,
both at college and beyond. Members of
MGLSA will have a chance to dinewith the
panel participants following the event, thus
affording a chance for continued dialogue.

Though somewhat less prominent,
another group has formed on the Middle-
bury campus to discuss and address issues
confronting gay men and lesbians in that
academic setting. Comprisedof faculty and
staff members, the group began in February
when four staff mem-

crease dialogue with the administration at
Middlebury, participants in the faculty/
staff group invited newly-inaugurated
President Timothy Light to meet with them
at one of their evening gatherings. The
invitation was quickly accepted, and the
group looks forward to sharing with the
President their thoughts and feelings on the
experiences of gay people at Middlebury.

Members of both MGLSA and the fac-
ulty/staff group have, by their very exis-
tence, sent a strong message to the Middle-
bury College community, and in so doing
have affirmed the value of their presence.
In a recent article in the school newspaper,
MGLSA member Scott Smithson com-
mented on the beneficial effects of this visi-
bility by saying "It has been a long and
uphill battle, and now it is my last semester
here and I have the chance...to say to every-
body at Middlebury thatl am gay."

Both MGLSA and the faculty/staff
group hope that more and more students, as
well as staff and faculty members, will feel
comfortable enough at Middlebury Col-
lege to echo Smithson's words in the not-
so-distant future.

bers decided to meeton
a regular basis to share
their experiences in
working at the school.

Several faculty
members subse-
quently became inter-
ested and began at-
tending meetings and
social events. The
group has also met
with MGLSA and con-
tinues to support the
students‘ initiatives.

In order to in-

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