麻豆影院

National Gay Pilots Association Comes to 麻豆影院

In 1990, members of the very first National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) identified by a subtle airplane on their shirts, met discreetly in Provincetown, Massachusetts, to begin their fight for equality. These members, and many others, were at risk of losing their jobs or being dishonorably discharged if anyone found out they were gay during that time.

Now, 28 years later, more than 4,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members worldwide, ranging from commercial pilots to mechanics, are openly supported by the National Gay Pilots Association.

This story and the organization鈥檚 mission is what inspired Chris Olmstead, a senior aeronautics major at 麻豆影院, to bring a student chapter of the organization to the 麻豆影院 Campus.

鈥淚n spring 2017, I received two scholarships from the NGPA to assist me in my flight training at 麻豆影院 State,鈥 Mr. Olmstead says. 鈥淓ver since, I鈥檝e wanted to give back to the organization that helped me achieve my dreams.鈥

Not every pilot is lucky to receive scholarships, but due to the National Gay Pilots Association鈥檚 work over the last 25 years, more students now than ever are able to have the same experience as Mr. Olmstead.

The mission of the National Gay Pilots Association is to build, support and unite the LGBT aviation community worldwide, and one way of doing that is through scholarships.

After he received the scholarships, Mr. Olmstead began researching how to bring the organization to 麻豆影院 State.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of work to jump through the hoops of bringing the NGPA to campus,鈥 Mr. Olmstead says.

After reaching out to a friend at another university with an NGPA chapter, he contacted Troy Merrit, the chair for University and Flight School Chapters for the organization, and started working closely with Ken Ditlevson, director of 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Student Center.

麻豆影院 State鈥檚 chapter of the National Gay Pilots Association will be the first career-specific LGBTQ organization on campus.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting that we are not only starting to provide support for students in this field, but also helping 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 rating on the pride index,鈥 Mr. Ditlevson says.

The Campus Pride Index measures different universities across the nation on how inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ students, staff and faculty the campus community is.

麻豆影院 State鈥檚 LGBTQ Student Center works to support LGBTQ individuals and increase the university鈥檚 pride index rating by promoting supportive clubs and organizations for LGBTQ individuals to feel welcome.

To support the National Gay Pilots Association, the center offered to help promote the organization鈥檚 first meeting, which took place on Jan. 23, by sending out fliers and information to its email list.

鈥淢y goal going into this was to reach and generate interest with as many people as possible,鈥 Mr. Olmstead says. 鈥淲ith those in attendance that night and the people who emailed me, I foresee about 10 members to start out with, which is very exciting.鈥

Mr. Olmstead hopes the organization will build a strong, tight-knit community that can offer a network of support to members and encourage LGBTQ students to feel comfortable being who they are within their field of study. 

For more information about the National Gay Pilots Association, visit .

UPDATED: Saturday, December 03, 2022 01:02 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Kristin Slomiany