Allies – an organization made up of students, faculty and staff in the pursuit of advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members of the SMU community – will host an advocacy training session today from noon until 2 p.m. in the Women’s Center. Dedicated to broadening the cultural horizons of the SMU community, the training program takes place twice a semester.
“Allies plays an essential role in the SMU college experience,” said Karen Click, coordinator of Allies. “We come together in the effort to provide a community of support for a group that is not always given support.”
The advocacy training program – open to all who wish to attend – will consist of two sessions. The first session will feature a discussion about the needs and expectations of homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders in a society pivoting around heterosexual norms and values. The second session will focus on what it means to be an ally and a voice to this often-marginalized community.
“As a gay man, the general conception of SMU is that we are conservative,” said Joe Hoselgon, recruitment coordinator for the Meadows School of the Arts and Allies advocate. “However, when I attended the training for the first time, I found that nine of the 10 people there were heterosexual. This was ironic and refreshing at the same time.”
The recruitment and enlistment of students with a diversity of perspectives embodies the mission that Allies wishes to promote – the creation and encouragement of a responsive community of individuals from all backgrounds who advocate the acceptance of diversity. Members like Hoselgon stress that Allies stands for an open-minded and forward-thinking community, not merely for the gay community.
Upon completion of the program, new members will benefit from the participation in Allies’ online list serves that communicate both national and local information relevant to its cause. Additionally, Allies-certified advocates will receive a plaque to hang on their door or vehicle to convey their support of the LGBT community at SMU – a mark of character that Allies advocates like William M. Finnin, chaplain to the university, proudly displays.
“[We] are proud to hang the Allies logo on our doors, doors open to everyone in our community,” Finnin said. “No strings attached.”
