Date: Sat, 2 Sep 1995 12:28:56 -0400 From: bclgbc@nenet.org (Boston College LGBC Action Committee) Subject: Help Stop Discrimination at Boston College F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E Boston College President Denies Equal Rights to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community Release Date: Sept 1st Contact: Ryan Brady: 617-656-3510 Bryan Zerbe: 617-266-8987 B.C. students and members of LGBC, the Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Community returned to the campus this Fall to discover that College President J. Donald Monan S. J. had in June denied gay, lesbian and bisexual students the right to form a registered student organization. LGBC has existed informally for over ten years, and has proven itself in the eyes of many leading community members to be an integral and accepted part of campus life. Being denied registration prevents LGBC from being listed in the Student Guide and demonstrates publicly that gay, lesbian and bisexual students are not welcome at B.C. LGBC has voted unanimously to reject the President's decision and to work for its immediate reversal. The Boston College Community is rallying behind LGBC, with many groups already expressing support before the formal start of classes. A full range of responses has been planned for the week of Sept 7th, which will begin with a campus town meeting on Monday Sept 7th at 7pm. In a June 15th letter, Monan states that sexual orientation is essentially a "private matter." It is "reductionist" to have institutional structures which categorize students according to sexual orientation, he argues in a letter addressed to club officers. Such a stance ignores the ongoing public violence against gays, lesbians and bisexuals, whether physical, verbal or emotional. The President's position also ignores the substantial contribution made by LGBC members to the entire B.C. community. "It is inconceivable in 1995 that a school as prominent as Boston College should continue to blatantly discriminate against the students it claims to serve. For an institution that has made a special effort to create bridges to the Jewish community and to the women's community, it is ironic that it has refused to recognize the significance in the contributions of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community. Social Justice needs to come home." - Vinny McCarthy, A&S '62, Senior Partner, Hale & Door, Boston, MA "In spite of the President's lengthy attempts to justify his decision, it remains an affront to our personal dignity. Personally, the decision has left me feeling ill. The President is clearly out of touch with the campus community, including faculty, alumni, students and staff and members of his own religious community, not to mention the progress and change which has been unfolding over recent years." - Ryan Brady, SOE '96, LGBC Co-director. LGBC CONTACT PAGE The full text of the LGBC application for registration, submitted in June and a copy of the President's June 17th letter rejecting the application are available on the LGBC Web Site on the Internet at http://www.nenet.org/nenet/bclgbc Please feel free to visit the web site and to download the documents. Other related information can also be found there. LGBC members may be contacted at any of the following: By Regular Mail: LGBC, Box L-112, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02167 Phone/Voice: (617) 552-2979 On the Internet: Our email address: Our web page: http://www.nenet.org/nenet/bclgbc The LGBC Co-directors: Ryan Brady: 617-656-3510 Bryan Zerbe: 617-266-8987 For Additional Information, Contact: Brad Drabant: 617-783-2389 Jeff Johnson: 617-734-3838 David Leonard: 617-739-1172 Mark Melchior: 617-825-6805 L . G . B . C . FACT SHEET Established: 1985 Membership: 60 registered members Registration status: Applied for registration with Boston College in 1985, 1992, and 1995. Registration refused by J. Donald Monan, S.J., President of Boston College. Activities: Weekly meetings held on campus. Meetings rotate in format from support, informational, and social. University involvement: LGBC has served, and continues to serve the Boston College community through: - Training sessions for Residence Assistants in the campus residence halls. - Residence hall outreach meetings. - Information brochures distributed to all students living in campus residence halls. - Information table on Student Activities Day. - Peer counseling. - Speakers program. - Publishing the B.C. Triangle newsletter. Speakers Program: A number of prominent speakers have been sponsored by LGBC for the benefit of the university community. Among them have been: - Andrew Sullivan, editor of The New Republic. - Joseph Fernandez, former superintendent of the New York City public schools. - Warren Blumenfeld, prominent gay author and activist. - Heather Wishik, Gay and Lesbian Resource Center director at Tufts University. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- .---. __ .-------- The LGBC Action Committee at Boston College // \( )/ ----- ///// ' \/ ` ---- ______ Email: bclgbc@nenet.org // // //` '-- \ / // //..\\ \ / Web: http://www.nenet.org/nenet/bclgbc ====UU====UU==== \/