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LGBT and other considerations (QQIA)

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Allies

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is committed to the principle of maintaining an open, safe, and nonprejudicial learning environment for all students, faculty, and staff who are homosexual, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex persons, and their allies.

The Gay/Lesbian movement is a social and political movement. This movement seeks social and political rights and privileges that are accorded to heterosexual couples. In modern secular societies, in which individual rights are granted based on social contracts with the state, it is assumed that equal political and social rights are given to all. Many states have difficulty in ridding themselves of their traditional religious based morality, and therefore refuse to honor the rights of gay couples to marry and have all the same rights as hetreosexual couples.

Homophobia
Homophobia is the irrational fear of homosexuals. It is a behavior, belief, or attitude that rejects sexual behaviors and sex-roles that do not conform to traditional sex-roles or stereotypes.

Homophobia is a form of prejudice and fear-based actions perpetrated against homosexuals. Presence and acceptance of homosexuals in society challenges traditionally and religiously held stereotypes. Hence, traditional patriarchy sees a challenge to its notion of masculinity and power structure. Homosexuality challenges sex roles that are based on the patriarchal social system and gender based power distribution in society.

Homosexual: A homosexual is a person who is attracted to the same sexual gender.

Gay: Gay is a term used for homosexual males. It applies to a person who is attracted sexually and emotionally to another of the same gender. Sometimes used as an inclusive term for those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgendered (GLBT).

Lesbian: A lesbian is a female who is both attracted sexually and emotionally to other females.

Bisexual: Bisexual is a person who is attracted to persons of both sexes, male and female alike.

a special message: Tarleton cares about you

To those of you who are feeling hopeless, helpless, and even contemplating taking your own life:

Please don’t ever think that you need to kill yourself to escape your pain.

Please don’t put your friends, family, and your parents through it because their pain will be everlasting when they lose you.

Life will get better.

You just have to give it a chance.

If you are thinking of suicide, there is help.

You can call the National Suicide Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

The Trevor Project is an organization that helps gay teens and tries to prevent them from committing suicide. You can find more information at http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

or by calling 1-866 4 U Trevor (866-488-7386)

Also, please go to the following links for more support:

http://www.itgetsbetterproject.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/home/index.html

Remember, it will get better.

The Tarleton State University Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Additional LGBTQQIA Info