The Political Action Committee, a new internal committee of the gay rights group Gays, Bisexuals, Lesbians and Supporters United, held its first meeting to discuss how to better the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students on campus. Crawford Leavoy, political science senior and GBLSU member, brought the motion to the GBLSU board meeting where the group voted to create the committee. Leavoy said the committee mainly discussed the amount of LGBT support generated from the University in its first meeting. “There is no support from the administration,” he said. “That support used to come from [the Office of Multicultural Affairs]. OMA no longer really contacts the members of the LGBT ccommunity to see what services they need.” Ana deAlvare, business management sophomore and GBLSU president, said Spectrum Alliance no longer exists, so GBLSU has the responsibility to keep an active voice on campus. “It is a step toward bringing more politics into GBLSU but also toward better representing the balance of responsibility in the lives of the LGBT community,” she said. DeAlvare said the committee “has a vision to be an important voice that currently is going unheard on this campus.” Matt Blaze, music performance senior, said he had never heard of GBLSU or the Political Action Committee. He said distinguishing between who is part of a minority is difficult because the United States was founded on mixed culture. “It’s a difficult decision to make because our nation is so diverse and made up of so many beautiful people,” he said. Blaze said people should only be judged according to their characters. “Sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity should not be factors in the workplace,” he said. “Human character should be the main focus.” Leavoy said the committee’s membership is open to everyone not just GBLSU members. “Membership is open to any student who cares about helping the LGBT community, whether they are part of the LGBT community or whether they support the LGBT community,” Leavoy said. Wesleigh McLeod, history freshman, said the committee’s presence is a good thing for the University. “If they need to talk to someone, it’s a good thing to have,” McLead said.
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]