麻豆影院

LGBTQ+ Trailblazers from Area High Schools Visit Campus

麻豆影院 State Welcomes GLSEN Northeast Ohio鈥檚 15th聽Annual Fall Conference聽

On November 2, students and faculty from 20 area high schools came to 麻豆影院 State for Gay Lesbian Straight Education Networks (GLSEN) Northeast Ohio鈥檚 15th Annual Fall Conference. It鈥檚 the seventh consecutive time that 麻豆影院 State has hosted the conference.  

This year鈥檚 theme was 鈥淟GBTQ+ Trailblazers鈥 and sessions during the day focused on issues of leadership and change. Specifically, how individuals and groups can advocate change for themselves, school systems and universities. 

Throughout the day, groups talked about the trailblazers. 鈥淭hese are people who helped pave the way and empower our students to become the next trailblazers,鈥 said Ken Ditlevson, director of 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 LGBTQ+ Center. 

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High school students attending the GLSEN Fall Conference at 麻豆影院 State

Guests and Panel Discussions

One of the speakers was a trailblazer here at 麻豆影院 State. In 1971, Jeff Bixby,鈥74, was one of the founders of the 麻豆影院 Gay Liberation Front (KGLF) as one of the first gay student organizations in the country. Now named PRIDE!麻豆影院, it is the longest continuously operating LGBTQ student organization in the country. Bixby continued as an activist after he graduated from 麻豆影院 State. He spoke about being a leader and trying to make change for equality. 

There was also a panel discussion led by 麻豆影院 State students who are interns in the LGBTQ+ Center. They shared their perspectives about what their college experience has been like as members of the LGBTQ community and offered tips and suggestions for college-bound students. The panel talked about what students should look for in a supportive university, what resources have been most helpful for them and the programs, events, and mentorship programs they have been active in. 

Ditlevson said, 鈥淵ou know, just to learn from here 鈥 it鈥檚 one thing to hear from 50-year-old Ken, but then to hear from people that are closer to their age, right now, in their walks of life as a student at 麻豆影院. For them to be able to share those experiences was really valuable for the students that were in attendance.鈥

Charlie Simecek, a senior psychology major with a minor in LGBTQ studies is an intern in 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 LGBTQ+ Center and was one of the leaders of the panel discussion. 鈥淚 really wished I would have been able to go to a panel like this when I was in high school, so I'm so glad I could be on the panel for this conference,鈥 said Simecek. 鈥淚 really hope I made an impact on the students in the room and made them feel less scared about coming to college because in my experience college has been a much more positive experience than high school.鈥

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麻豆影院 State students led a panel discussion at the conference.

Also serving on the panel was Gabe Mul茅, a senior psychology major with a music minor, who is also an intern in the LGBTQ+ Center. "I loved being on the GLSEN Panel, as nervous as I was to speak and make a positive impact, I knew the prospective college students also shared anxieties about college and being LGBTQ+. College can be overwhelming, so I really hope all of our tips and insights landed for those who need the reassurance and inside look," said Mul茅.

The high school GSA groups

Attendees arrive on school busses and were made up of high school students and faculty who are members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as allies. They were all members of the GSA organizations in their high schools and middle schools. 鈥淕SA鈥 can stand for 鈥淕ay/Straight Alliance 鈥渙r 鈥淕ender and Sexuality Alliance,鈥 depending on how the group was founded. 

Students in attendance had to receive parental approval to attend the conference, and the agenda was listed within the topics.

Within these groups, not all of the members necessarily identify within the LGBTQ community. 鈥淚 would say that a large majority of the students that came do identify within the community, and some are 鈥渙ut,鈥 and some are not,鈥 said Ditlevson. 鈥淪ome of the students that are in their GSA organizations, they just believe in equality and want to work towards that, too. And they want to be supportive and make it clear what they stand for.鈥 

Hope and encouragement

Ditlevson said that he wished that supportive events like this had existed when he was in high school, struggling with feelings of hopelessness and seeing 鈥渘o light at the end of the tunnel.鈥 鈥淚 think events like this really do make a difference,鈥 said Ditlevson. 鈥淚 know that they would have made a difference to me, encouraging me to stick it out and work toward getting to college.鈥 


鈥淭o be able to give students some of that hope and some of the tips on how to get there and how to navigate unsupportive families and things like that 鈥 I think it is really encouraging and gives a lot of students hope.鈥 
 

POSTED: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 12:00 AM
Updated: Friday, December 9, 2022 07:09 PM
WRITTEN BY:
Phil B. Soencksen