Ball State students and faculty are attempting to change tendencies of sexual inequality through on-campus organizations, but that’s not all they are doing. For these individuals, making sure the LGBTQ community receives equal rights is rooted in everyday practices of acceptance.
Colleen Boyd, associate anthropology professor, makes gender diversity apart of her curriculum in an effort to educate Ball State students on the issue. The mother of a gay man (a graduate from Ball State), Boyd is also involved with Spectrum’s gay-straight alliance.
Reflecting on how LGBTQ rights have changed since her son’s birth, Boyd has seen much improvement.
“I would say that as the mother of a gay man, I feel like he is more openly gay in more places than might have been true 30 years ago, when he was born,” she said. “If someone had told me in 1982, when he was born, that he was gay, how I imagined his life would be is really different now. He has a very open life. People know he’s gay. He has many friends. He has a career he loves.”
As is the case with raising any child, Boyd has learned several lessons in mothering her own. In particular, she references a Facebook banner she recently saw that reads, “Having a gay child doesn’t make you a failure as a parent, rejecting your gay child makes you a failure as a parent.”
Boyd continues to educate herself on the LGBTQ community, reading books on the topic. In fact, she recommends using the media as a source of education.
“I would like to see more people spend time with popular films, television shows and novels because those things have a way of normalizing what for many people seems very odd,” Boyd said. “If you’re looking at people who in your mind live this incredibly different life than you do, then you’re going to see them as too different from you to have contact with.”
Angelina Zulas, a senior social work major, has been certified through SafeZone, “a voluntary network of faculty, staff, students and community members who believe that every member of the university and broader community should have an equal opportunity to grow and learn in a safe and open environment.”
In her eyes, misunderstanding not only perpetuates unfair treatment in college, but at all age levels.
“From young children to the college aged to older adults, we all carry our fair share of preconceptions, and those preconceptions have the capability of manifesting hatred,” she said. “From a social work perspective, I know that the field is taking steps toward ensuring supportive communities for the LGBTQ community, but there is always adversity, especially to the things the majority cannot fully understand.”
Brian Kowalski, a junior natural resources major, is a part of some on-campus groups, including Social Justice League and Students for Responsible Consumerism.
In his opinion, the issue boils down to a simple viewpoint: recognizing every person we encounter as a “fellow human being.”
“We don’t recognize that there might be something else,” he said. “We live in such a black and white society that there’s no grey area.”
And as for Boyd, one lesson remains most important.
“Probably the most significant lesson I have learned is unconditional love,” she said.
