As a part of Rainbow Terps Week, the university’s Office of LGBT Equity launched the “I Heart Rainbow Terps” Facebook campaign, which is designed to increase awareness about on-campus resources for the university’s LGBTQA community.
The event, which began yesterday, invites students to upload pictures of themselves holding signs with the phrase “I Heart Rainbow Terps” in support of others who are coming out today — National Coming Out Day. This campaign was one more step in a series of initiatives the university has taken toward greater lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and allied acceptance, including the Rainbow Terrapin Network’s efforts to train advocates for this community.
Students in the community said they feel LGBTQA acceptance is increasing, both at this university and in the general population. And as events such as the “I Heart Rainbow Terps” campaign spread awareness about issues they face, it’s only a matter of time until discrimination ceases, they said.
“I feel comfortable with being open, and hope other students would be comfortable with it too with all the resources available on campus,” said Lamar Rogers, the junior government and politics major who started the campaign. “I feel like even society’s views are getting better.”
The “I Heart Rainbow Terps” event aims to solicit at least 1,000 supportive pictures by Oct. 17.
“I think it’s a great program, and one that allows students to speak any way they want,” said Luke Jensen, director of the Office of LGBT Equity. “It can be an LGBT person or ally — anyone who wants to express themselves can. We hope for it to be an open environment for all students.”
Because the campaign is hosted by the Office of LGBT Equity’s Facebook group, Rogers said he hopes it draws more attention to the webpage, which provides a hub of resources for LGBTQA students, particularly those who are still finding their place at the university.
Several students said they see the campus as a place that supports members of the LGBTQA community.
“There’s lots of education on campus on LGBT issues — there are panels, and I see fliers all the time,” junior psychology major Marci Goodman said. “Most people on campus in general are very open about the issues and can talk about it easily.”
And although there is still plenty of ground to cover, other students said they hope the trend of acceptance continues moving forward.
“There’s definitely room for improvement on campus, like having gender-neutral bathrooms and housing,” said senior studio arts major Spencer Brennen, social chair of Pride Alliance. “I think the university really does try to have an open dialogue between different groups and foster an open community. They put a lot of effort into issues like diversity and having an LGBT studies program. For the most part, the university community is great.”
Some students said they feel comfortable being out, and others said they noticed a prevalence of openness throughout the campus.
“A lot of people you meet are glad to say they are LGBT,” said junior government and politics major Jon Saltzman. “The people I know definitely feel it’s an open environment.”
In addition to spreading awareness of LGBTQA issues through publicity campaigns such as “I Heart Rainbow Terps,” officials in the Office of LGBT Equity said they take daily measures to ensure the students they represent feel safe.
“As an institution, we have a variety of practices that benefit LGBT students,” Jensen said. “The creation of this office itself has helped. We have all come together to make the kind of infrastructure that LGBT students need.”
With a strong foundation for support, Rogers said using social media as an outreach tool is one approach to broaden the education about challenges facing the LGBTQA community. As of last night, 87 people responded that they were attending the “I Heart Rainbow Terps” event, and there were 488 members in the Office of LGBT Equity’s Facebook group.
“I think the university is very accepting and does a good job of promoting coming out and being open,” sophomore chemical engineering major John Daristotle said. “The more diverse views on the LGBT community are among the students. I’ve seen a lot of bad jokes made [about LGBT students], but nothing really negative besides that.”
Although the university has made progress in promoting the acceptance of the LGBTQA community, some students said they think it will still take time before they are completely comfortable.
“Nationally, I think there’s a lot of work to be done, though a lot of stuff has already been changed,” Brennen said. “The attitude of a lot of top administrators leaves much to be desired, because they have been very resistant to helping LGBT students in their schools, which is alarming. At least those cases are getting attention and people are getting involved to make the situation better.”
romas@umdbk.com
