Celebration Includes Panel with First Openly Gay Massachusetts State Senator

By Matt Kiernan

An establishment long time coming, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender center opened last Wednesday in the student center in hopes to create resources for these students and their promotion into a more accepting campus.

The purpose of the LGBT center, which will be located on the third floor of the Student Center, is to provide support for students whether it’s for social problems or with their academics. The center is planned to create an outreach for the community outside the campus and to show an example of acceptance for people of all different backgrounds.

The opening of center was welcomed by guest speaker and former Massachusetts Senator Cheryl Jacques along with a panel discussion of faculty ,and leaders of the campus.

A point Jacques emphasized during her speech at Alumni Hall was that, although, social progress has been made over the years, there are still barriers that need to be knocked down before total acceptance of people of any minority group can be achieved.

“Change will come quicker when people speak their views on equality,” said Jacques in the hope that supporters will be more open to explaining their opinions on gay rights to others.

The panel discussion was held by Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Laura Tordenti, Director of Diversity and Equity Dr. Moises Salinas, associate professor of psychology Dr. Joanne DiPlacido and CCSU student Kasey Gordon who was a leader in bringing the center together.

The panel discussed with Jacques the formation of the center and the difficulties members of the gay community face as well as answered questions from the audience.

A problem that many gay couples must deal with is how the government doesn’t give them the tax breaks that heterosexual couples receive.

“In the eyes of the federal government, we are not married,” said DiPlacido while talking about the marriage she has with her partner.

Homosexuals who get married must pay taxes as if they live indepenently and can also be excluded from benefits such as Social Security.

Jacques cited that over half of the Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partnership benefits. This is because the companies realize that in order to have the brightest employees they must be accepting of all groups.

Discrimination against LGBT students and other minority populations on campus can be seen through occurrences that corresponds with dorm assignments.

Tordenti said some parents use Facebook as a tool for seeing their child’s roommate assignment and call ResLife to have their roommate changed if they “look gay” or are of a minority group.

Jacques pointed out that throughout history, the country has dealt with social injustices that has spanned through all different groups. Problems such as women not being able to serve as jurors up until the 1970s as well as racism that continuing to this day are things many people have struggled with.

The center doesn’t yet have a full-time employee, but plans to have student assistants and possibly a full-time university employee. CCSU is the first of the universities in the CSU system to have a LGBT center.

There are no official plans for events by the center, although PRIDE, the campus LGBT organization, will be putting on a masquerade ball for drag queens and kings.