LGBTQ+ Organizations throughout Old Dominion Universities History
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
This paper explores the LGBTQ+ history of college students at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, from 1968 to the present day. Highlighting the struggles of the LGBTQ+ students facing discrimination on campus, from homophobic vandalism on campus to advertising in Our Own and working closely with the Unitarian Universalist Gay Caucus and putting on an LGBTQ+ conference on campus in partnership with a few local LGBTQ+ organizations. The community connection of LGBTQ+ student organizations with the religious community is something that is not seen as often, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. The LGBTQ+ organizations at ODU often faced discrimination throughout the university and focused on goals such as educating the community about the acceptance of gay and lesbian people. While they weren't initially inclusive of transgender and gender non-conforming people, they did eventually become more and more accepting as issues around gender identity came to the attention of the public.
This paper will discuss the history of LGBTQ+ organizations at ODU in chronological order, starting with the Tidewater Homophile Society Old Dominion College chapter, founded in 1968, to the present day with the Old Dominion University Sexuality and Gender Alliance. This paper will show the challenges each organization faced and how they were able to change the campus-wide perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community slowly through a variety of efforts made by the LGBTQ+ organizations. It will also include information shared by former members of these LGBTQ+ organizations and reference information from books such as Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the South and LGBT Hampton Roads. This paper will analyze original documents produced by the LGBTQ+ groups that exist within the Old Dominion University Special Collections Archives along with personal narratives from former officers of the groups that have been shared, such as Dr. Don Stansberry and his efforts to create a program to prevent sexual assault on campus and how he worked on adding preferred name options to the university systems online along with former Graduate assistant for the LGBTQ+ initiatives in the Office of Intercultural Relations, Gregg Henderschiedt.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Cathleen Rhodes
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Gay Cultural Studies/ Women & Gender Studies Department
College Affiliation
College of Arts & Letters
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Disciplines
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
Session Title
Interdisciplinary Topics
Location
Learning Commons @Perry Library, Room 1311
Start Date
3-30-2024 10:45 AM
End Date
3-30-2024 11:45 AM
LGBTQ+ Organizations throughout Old Dominion Universities History
Learning Commons @Perry Library, Room 1311
This paper explores the LGBTQ+ history of college students at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, from 1968 to the present day. Highlighting the struggles of the LGBTQ+ students facing discrimination on campus, from homophobic vandalism on campus to advertising in Our Own and working closely with the Unitarian Universalist Gay Caucus and putting on an LGBTQ+ conference on campus in partnership with a few local LGBTQ+ organizations. The community connection of LGBTQ+ student organizations with the religious community is something that is not seen as often, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. The LGBTQ+ organizations at ODU often faced discrimination throughout the university and focused on goals such as educating the community about the acceptance of gay and lesbian people. While they weren't initially inclusive of transgender and gender non-conforming people, they did eventually become more and more accepting as issues around gender identity came to the attention of the public.
This paper will discuss the history of LGBTQ+ organizations at ODU in chronological order, starting with the Tidewater Homophile Society Old Dominion College chapter, founded in 1968, to the present day with the Old Dominion University Sexuality and Gender Alliance. This paper will show the challenges each organization faced and how they were able to change the campus-wide perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community slowly through a variety of efforts made by the LGBTQ+ organizations. It will also include information shared by former members of these LGBTQ+ organizations and reference information from books such as Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the South and LGBT Hampton Roads. This paper will analyze original documents produced by the LGBTQ+ groups that exist within the Old Dominion University Special Collections Archives along with personal narratives from former officers of the groups that have been shared, such as Dr. Don Stansberry and his efforts to create a program to prevent sexual assault on campus and how he worked on adding preferred name options to the university systems online along with former Graduate assistant for the LGBTQ+ initiatives in the Office of Intercultural Relations, Gregg Henderschiedt.