Improving St Andrews for LGBT, Closeted and Questioning people

[Anony Mous]

Ok people, a serious question here: Every student at St Andrews knows how small and insular our town can be. This can often make it very difficult to be LGBT, let alone being a closeted or questioning student.

St Andrews isn't as big as Manchester, or as diverse as London. But this often means that it's difficult to be gay in this town, especially when the student years should be a time to explore, develop or come to terms with sexuality. The result: I know a number of depressed gay people who could ultimately become very messed up adults.

So how can we improve St Andrews for LGBT, Closeted and Questioning people?

Suggestions and thoughts welcomed...

[box_of_delights]

From my own experience and observations, it is the very 'L.G.B.T.' branding that alienates so many of the people those letters represent. An example would be the notion that during time at university, away from home etc. young people should be free to experiment with their sexuality (whatever it may be) without the fear of being branded gay, bisexual etc.

Does the fact that a man may choose to sleep with another man make him curious, bisexual, gay...? Does the very thought of such homosexual activities immediately assign someone an L G or B identity? The problem is that these terms don't cater for a large proportion of society - especially in St Andrews where (especially given the size of the town) we appear to have a high number of people who 'enjoy' both sexes, whether in an actively sexual way or not.

A lot of these people don't want to be branded as straight, gay or bisexual, full stop - let alone attend a society which further identifies them being one or more.

However... yes I am aware I created all our current logos and branding using 'L.G.B.T.' despite my personal reservations on the matter, but we do have to cater, of course, for those for whom the LGBT identity is important, and who do not want to shy away or hide the fact that they are either L, G, B or T.

To cater for both camps would be near impossible. My ideal would be the cliched "open minded", or dare I say it "Pride" society. But, one could argue that there would be little point in such a society existing if it didn't fulfill its brief of actively and prominently representin the community who do consider themselves LGBT.

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[Count Dracula]

It is true that being branded under the LGBT umbrella may not be what some people want. However, being part of 'the society', whether it be officially referred to as a pride society, LGBT, Gay or whatever the case may be will result in the same branding by the poeple who do not identify with LGBT issues. I do not think that anyone should be put off becoming member of the society due to this. The society is about meeting like-minded (or, indeed, entirely different-minded) people and about addressing LGBT-related welfare issues, not about being branded as anything one does not want to be branded as.

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[Kenny MacDonald]

Quoting Count Dracula from 14:39, 13th Feb 2006
It is true that being branded under the LGBT umbrella may not be what some people want. However, being part of 'the society', whether it be officially referred to as a pride society, LGBT, Gay or whatever the case may be will result in the same branding by the poeple who do not identify with LGBT issues. I do not think that anyone should be put off becoming member of the society due to this. The society is about meeting like-minded (or, indeed, entirely different-minded) people and about addressing LGBT-related welfare issues, not about being branded as anything one does not want to be branded as.

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Count Dracula is right - whatever the society calls itself, those on the outside will most likely brand it as the gay society. Especially since it will be mostly gay members who attend.

The problem with those who are struggling to come to terms with their sexuality is that by attending a society meeting (whatever name we give it) they are identifying themselves as someone who perhaps isn't exclusively heterosexual to a group of people they don't know. And that is a scary thing to do - I did, after all, have to go through this process too once.



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