The LGBTQ+ Resource Center is a university-sponsored space for LGBTQ+ and allied students to find community in an affirming on-campus environment. Founding the Center in 2002, however, required strong advocacy – and lots of time – from students, professors, and community members.

“Documenting Need”: Founding the GLBT Center and Other Efforts

In 1996, a “stand-alone Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) center” was proposed to the GMU Board of Visitors and was given funding. However, citing a need for further evidence of the ‘demonstrated rather than perceived’ need to fund GLBT services,” the Board of Visitors rejected this initial Center proposal. This decision was a reversal from what was suggested by then-University President Alan Merten, the Faculty Senate, and student-wide approval.

This came up in the September 18, 1996, Board of Visitors meeting, where the motion was initially motioned by Ms. Ricards and seconded by Ms. Davis for the support of a “Gay, Lesbian and Bi-sexual Student Resource Program.” The initial vote for the support of the service failed to amend, with 3 aye votes to 8 nay votes. They then took a further vote to establish that there should be “no new initiatives or further planning or expenditure of funds be made for the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual Student Resource Program until the Board has reviewed all components of the policies concerning the Cluster.” This motion was carried with 8 aye votes to 3 nay votes. The carousel images below will show the relevant documents and of those who voted for and against the motion.  

"Whereas, in the face of these votes of sentiment and despite having received information about hate crimes committed against GLBT students on campus, on 20 November the BOV voted against appropriating the $15,000 to fund services for GLBT students...

Whereas, the BOV deemed the present staff, programming, educational and counseling resources in Minority Student Affairs (MSA) adequate for GLBT services as well, pending still further evidence of the "demonstrated rather than perceived" need to fund GLBT services separately." -

Quote from GMU Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes on December 4th, 1996

In response, students and faculty protested the Board of Visitors’ decision. The veto and fallout even drew the attention of external groups, such as lesbian activist group Lesbian Avengers.

[AUDIO] “they had actually attempted around 1998 or ‘99, to start a halftime LGBTQ Resource center and it had been approved by Faculty Senate and staff and the Vice President and students and everybody. It was a done deal and then it was vetoed by the Board of Visitors, which sort of stymied everybody. That actually led to a set of protests where some of the students at Mason linked up with some of the different community groups around, one of which was the Lesbian Avengers. I don't know if you've heard of them, but they actually came to, came to Mason and were parading around with signs saying ‘documenting need’, because the thing the Board of Visitors said was, ‘you have not documented the need for this position’.” --Ric Chollar, discussing the initial veto of a LGBTQ+ Resource Center in the 1990s.

Disappointed by this development, on-campus LGBTQ+ organizations modified services to be for “general campus safety” while still providing vital support for LGBTQ+ students to avoid criticism from anti-LGBTQ+ organizations and leadership. A few of these efforts were the Safe Zone program and a “coming out” counseling group provided by on-campus Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

PFOX and a National Attack against LGBTQ+ Support at Mason

Unfortunately, these efforts faced backlash as well – but this time from a national organization. Ric Chollar discussed how CAPS’ resources for LGBTQ+ students were targed by the national organization Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), which supported now-discredited practices such as conversion therapy.

“PFOX. It was the- one of many anti-gay and ex-gay conversion therapy efforts, activist efforts, and they had a very strong political, legal lobby. ... at one point somebody called me up and asked to have an interview with me, and said that they were a grad student who was in crisis over their sexual orientation; that they were having ‘unwanted’ attraction to same gender, and they wanted to change that, and what did I think was possible. And so we had a hour long thing about it, and I, you know, pulled out of the drawer some of the resources, and then I also showed, kind of, here's what all of the different psychological, mental health professions are saying is not ethical about this. Anyway, I find out later, about two weeks later, that this person had been- had recorded our interview and was testing us out, and was doing this at every one of the LGBT centers, in the public institutions of Virginia, basically preparing to sue us for what they called ‘sexual orientation discrimination’, because they were saying that ex-gay is an orientation, and that we were discriminating by not having services for them. It was crazy. At that time, the Virginia politics, the government, the governor was Republican, the lieutenant governor or attorney general was Ken Cuccinelli, who, I don't know if you're familiar with the name, but anyways, is very, very rabidly right wing, Christian conservative. They basically put out a letter to all of the universities saying that we had to comply with what these requests were. They also put out a letter saying that we had to cross out any of our anti-discrimination policies that were for gender or for sexual orientation. That that was something that schools couldn't have. I was actually really proud of Mason and our schools because we stood up to that and said, no, we're not taking that stuff out.” - Ric Chollar on targeting of CAPS’ LGBTQ+ resources by conversion therapy organization PFOX

However, this affront was eventually assuaged when CAPS reaffirmed that the LGBTQ+ counseling resources were specifically for LGBTQ+ folks and that other resources were available.

Unfortunately, we were unable to find documentation for the eventual founding of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. However, the Center has been (and continues to be) a vital space for community and connection for LGBTQ+ students and allies since its founding in 2002.