LGBTQ Community Club Needed

Whenever a high school student thinks about college, they envision interesting classes, being out on their own, and most of all, meeting new people from every community and culture and enjoying this through different clubs. This is the vision I was given at Evergreen State University, but here at SPU, it’s definitely not been the same.

SPU has clubs of every kind, but one club that isn’t allowed to be included in the roster of official SPU clubs is that representing the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) community.

The interesting fact though is that there is a group seeking to be the missing LGBTQ club: SPU Haven.

Every community group needs a voice and expects one in college and at Seattle Pacific University, the restrictions and exclusions being forced upon SPU Haven need to change. Since 2007, Haven has constantly been trying to find acceptance as an official SPU club, but have not succeeded.

Having attended a high school that openly accepted LGBTQ youth, as well as being part of the Garfield High School GSA (gay/straight alliance), I was shocked and somewhat disgusted by the fact that there was no club at SPU, especially with openly gay students attending.

So why is there no official club for homosexual students and their straight peers and supporters to come together?     

The SPU Statement on Human Sexuality (a release that is gone over and copyrighted every year) states that while they promote tolerance that “Within the teaching of our religious tradition, we affirm that sexual experience is intended between a man and a woman.”

It is understood that as a private Christian college, SPU does have to be careful on the subject of homosexuality considering it is a controversial topic. Many students and faculty may not support the school if they openly accepted homosexuality, that they may see the school as promoting it if Haven were to become an official club, and thus to lose many donors and students.

But is the peace among the general student body and faculty really worth keeping away such an important club from many students?

All official clubs at the school are given spots on both the “SPU Clubs and Organizations” webpage and the SPU ASSP website. Along with this official clubs are able to gain club funding from ASSP, the group that runs events at the school, as well as get events shown on the ASSP webpage.

Because they are not being given official status, SPU Haven sees none of these benefits.

While the school does allow Haven a place to meet on campus, the group has been met more by obstacles from having their booth for Day of Silence, a day created to bring awareness to abuse towards the gay community, in 2009 being torn down, to being refused official status, even when complying to all the terms set to obtain official status.

One of the main responsibilities of a college is to give their students a place to congregate over topics in a safe environment. Missing a club the represents such a large number of students and community members can only hurt the student body.   

While I am not a current member of SPU Haven, I have attended one of the events they have put on and have seen firsthand the conversations and ideas that they have started and how much they benefit the school already.