| Loud and proud |
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Louder and Prouder than ever, that should say! The GBLUR club of days of yore has newly transformed into a centre. Up until now, we have sat and watched as other universities’ centres across Canada have gained funding, and now we can finally stand up and be counted among them. So what does this mean for you? For now, the physical space is the same (room 222 in the Riddell Centre, down the hall from the Womens’ Centre, on the way to the Health and Dental Office), but we are now able to bring you bigger events, a growing resource centre, and a more solid and substantial organization in general. It is extremely important to us to maintain a strong standard of advocacy for those who are discriminated against, ignored, or harassed based on sexuality and/or gender issues. Having this extra support will allow us to enhance this effort. Hopefully in your first couple of weeks of school, you have received a pamphlet from GBLUR. You will notice the acronym LGBT2A: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Two-Spirited, and Ally, as the new choice term for the Centre. However, we could add another hundred letters to that name and still not be finished. The Centre is for everyone. We address issues of sexuality and gender (which we all have, like it or not), and would like to encourage anyone who has questions to visit the Centre. Within a month, we will be launching our Positive Space campaign, to create a visibly accepting environment across the entire campus – in classrooms, offices, public spaces, residences, among other places – so that no matter where we go, those of us who do not fit into hetero-normative expectations can still feel safe and acknowledged for who we are. Get ahead of the game–try not to make assumptions about people, and come by the Centre or email us for other tips! From Executive Director Mike Murphy and myself, a big thanks and kudos to the Students’ Union Board for granting GBLUR Centre status, thereby allowing us to work together towards our goals to make student life brighter and more inclusive for everyone. Elizabeth Curry is the co-director of the GBLUR Centre |