LGBTU ready for action

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Union (LGBTU) is letting people know that they have more to offer than a complex acronym.

The LGBTU, which met Tuesday night to elect officers and discuss upcoming events, will be run this year by co-chairs college sophomore Thayer Fisher and double-degree sophomore Marissa L.

Foremost among the group's list of concerns is the possibility of a visit from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). Headed by Rev. Fred Phelps, the WBC group has warned the College, via fax, to expect their appearance on campus. When, where and whether or not they will come were questions that provided the bulk of debate at the first LGBTU meeting of the semester.

Approximately 90 people attended the meeting; numbers that were significant enough to establish LGBTU as one of the largest student-run organizations on campus. All attendees, regardless of sexual preference, stood united in opposition to the intentions of the WBC. Those intentions, explicitly stated in the original fax, are to protest Oberlin's acceptance of homosexuality and support of homosexual students.

In cooperation with the Oberlin Christian Fellowship (OCF) and the Newman Catholic Community (NCC), the LGBTU has proposed a peaceful all-night vigil and time of fellowship for people of all religions in response to the hateful protests of the Westboro group. "We should stay away from the negativity," said L.

Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) Community Coordinator for the LGBT community Angie Nichols agreed with L and has strongly recommended a gathering which would not feed the WBC group's desire for publicity. She insisted Oberlin students need not compromise themselves legally in order to get their point across.

Also in attendance at the Tuesday night meeting was college first-year Chris Duque, college junior Emily Lane and college sophomore Jen Miller, who are representatives of the various religious groups on campus. They presented a brief outline of suggestions regarding student activity when and if the Westboro group should arrive. "A hate group is not a Christian organization," said Lane, who stressed the importance of unity within the College's religious community.

Duque and Miller concurred with the ideas of non-violent retaliation and fellowship, adding that such a huge turnout for the year's first LGBTU meeting was a good indicator of on-campus support for the group.

With six branch support groups, numerous outreach programs, a magazine titled Snap and the infamous Drag Ball, its easy to absorb the high energy and camaraderie of the LGBTU. Despite threats from the WBC and Phelps' campaign, group members are determined to start the new year with a positive outlook.