Alumni solidarity
Letter to the Editor
Published: Sunday, March 4, 2012
Updated: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 12:09
In the ten years since I have been a part of the Notre Dame family, I have been outraged and embarrassed by the lack of inclusion of the GLBTQ community. As a student, I had many ways to productively voice that discontent, but as an alumna I have found it challenging to find a forum to be an ally. Still, I cannot just watch from the sidelines and hope things change. Alumni, we need to help make it better because it is our moral obligation to do so.
To show my solidarity with GLBTQ students, staff and faculty, I will not donate to the University until a GSA is recognized and until sexual-orientation is included in the non-discrimination clause. I will simply write "It needs to get better" on the mailings I receive and send them back. I know my refusal to donate will make little impact by itself. My hope is that others might do the same and as a whole we can have a voice and support those on campus working towards these goals. I hope other alumni out there will join me.
Aislinn Doyle
Class of ‘06
Burlington, Vt.
March 4
16 comments
Anonymous
People who disagree with me regarding the morality of extramarital sex are ignorant.What emoting do you plan on contributing next?
Anonymous
Too bad there is apparently nothing that can be done to solve the problem of your ignorance.
Anonymous
Problem solved!
Anonymous
Nor does a GSA do any of those things, especially since it doesn't even exist.
Anonymous
The bagpipe band does not advocate for heterosexual students to celebrate their extramarital desires and help them to meet other students who would be interested in romantic relationships while dismissing the Church as archaic.
Anonymous
Who says they have to support chastity and tradtitional marriage or gay marriage at all to become a club? It's not like ND asked the bagpipe band or the sailing club their stance on marriage before making them official. I have not heard anything about the GSA taking a stance on marriage; I'm pretty sure they won't. The point of a GSA is not to jump in the marriage debate; it's to support gay students who often face a hostile atmosphere (not just at ND, but in the world in general). It's to create a safe space for people to talk about sexuality, meet others going through the same issues, and promote understanding and equality.
Anonymous
The GSA has not mentioned Catholic teaching at all with regard to promoting chastity or supporting traditional marriage. Are these core principles of the group?
Anonymous
I think if you can question whether a GSA (a group intended to support GLBTQ students) can exist within the boundaries of the Church's stand on homosexuality, you also need to question the Church's stand on homosexuality. The Church supports gay people for who they are, but condemns homosexual acts. The concept of this GSA is to support gay people for who they are, not to support homosexual acts. If the Church can get away with it, I don't see how ND can say that a GSA can't accomplish this separation as well. Also, as a young gay alumna, I realize that some day my peers will be the ones controlling ND's financial future. Most of ND's young alumni support their gay peers, and would support a GSA and a non-discrimination clause. Unfortunately, money seems to dictate the University's actions more than morality and common decency. If that's the way we have to go to achieve change, so be it.
Anonymous
Can anyone seriously contend that a Gay-Straight Alliance chapter can operate within the teachings of the Catholic Church -- that is, WITHOUT advocating for same-sex marriage or the normalization of homosexual activities? Let's be honest here. The students and alums who are, once again, taking up this issue are not interested in conforming to Catholic teachings, but in challenging them. Why should the University support them in this endeavor?
Anonymous
"Force people who have moral objections to endorse your behavior" ---Having a GSA on campus isn't a behavior?? And second of all I have moral objections to the University's bigotry.
Anonymous
The Core council is the University's way of pretending gay people don't exist. Great point. You're free to act as you will. Stop trying to force people who have moral objections to endorse your behavior.
Anonymous
Regardless of whether of not this, as the comment below states, is the most effective way to incite change, I personally cannot donate to this university with a clear conscious while the GLBTQ community is being disregarded in this way. And if a loss of donations is the primary reason Notre Dame does not support a GSA, I want even less to do with it. You have an ally in me, Aislinn.
Anonymous
This alumna isn't delusional about the fact that withholding her individual donation is going to have any major impact on its own (in fact she admits to such). The point here is that it shouldn't matter how much or how little you are donating to the University--what ND is doing is wrong, period. So, she is taking a stand against it the only way she sees how, I applaud her.
Anonymous
I disagree that the University would lose money.
Allowing a GSA to exist is really just a token gesture and the least ND can do for its students, its certainly not an endorsement of homosexuality and I don't think alumni would take it as such.
The University and its conservative alumni can continue to pretend gay people don't exist (especially when it comes to the ones who have been ordained and are abusing children) but that doesn't mean they will go away. They are in your dorms, your churches, your homes, and your classes, get over it. It is embarrassing to imagine a future when gay rights are fully realized throughout society and the University's 20+ year refusal to even allow a GSA is a glaring blot on the history books.
Allowing a GSA to exist is really just a token gesture and the least ND can do for its students, its certainly not an endorsement of homosexuality and I don't think alumni would take it as such.
The University and its conservative alumni can continue to pretend gay people don't exist (especially when it comes to the ones who have been ordained and are abusing children) but that doesn't mean they will go away. They are in your dorms, your churches, your homes, and your classes, get over it. It is embarrassing to imagine a future when gay rights are fully realized throughout society and the University's 20+ year refusal to even allow a GSA is a glaring blot on the history books.
Anonymous
You're obviously not donating much or you would have a better place to voice these concerns.
Anonymous
The University would lose more money if they endorsed a GSA. Nice try though.
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