Like it or not, love is love
“Love is love,” is displayed on a pin in Joshua Boschee’s office. Boschee is the coordinator for Greek life on campus, and a graduate of NDSU’s political science program. Boschee is also an openly gay man who has been “out” for two years. He would like to see more campus awareness of the issues surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) at NDSU. Boschee is competing with groups like the recently formed Facebook group called National Heterosexual Day.
“A lot of people are ignorant, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Boschee said. Boschee said ignorance is not bad as long as people try to fix the problem. He hopes that NDSU can become a comfortable environment for people with different sexual orientations.
Angela Mathers, a graduate assistant for service learning and civic engagement, works with the Safe Zone program on campus. Safe Zone was established “to provide a welcoming environment for LGBT persons by establishing an identifiable network of supportive persons who can provide a safe place for LGBT persons within our campus community.”
Mathers would like to ask people who join groups like National Heterosexual Day, “What will you say when someone close to you comes out?”
Laural Dahl and Tyler Hamre said that everyone, regardless of their sexuality, should feel respected and free to live in the manner they choose without ridicule.
“You can’t control who you are attracted to or love,” Dahl, a freshman majoring in mass communication, said.
Hamre, a junior majoring in advertising and public relations, shared similar thoughts.
“If you don’t agree with it, you should at least be able to tolerate it,” Hamre said.
Boschee pointed out that the National Heterosexual Day group has very few members. He hopes the small number of members indicates an accepting campus.
Boschee and Mathers promote equality among all students and staff. Boschee would like to see a LGBT center established on campus. He does not believe that the LGBT community should be receiving special treatment, but he said there is a need for a center. Boschee envisions the center as a place of information and support. Mathers has similar goals and said the most important issue is getting the information out there.
“I feel individuals starting these (anti-gay) groups simply lack information and education surrounding sexual orientation,” Mathers said.
All NDSU faculty and students are welcome to be a part of the Safe Zone program. More information can be found online at http://mu.ndsu.edu/civic_engagement/safe_zone/.