A colleague of mine who is a college sociology professor and LGBTQ advocate recently gave her students a midterm evaluation to check how they were feeling about the class. A few students stated that they hoped she would “not talk about LGBTQ propaganda so much.” 

When students immersed in an environment designed to promote open-minded critical thinking see a discussion of LGBTQ equality as “propaganda,” or as Merriam-Webster defines it, “ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc.”, what can we do to change this response?

The Association of American Colleges & Universities describes a Liberal Arts Education as “an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g., science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.”

The mission of Out of the Dorm Closet is to shed light on what is going right in the world of higher education for LGBTQ students, staff, and faculty. In doing this, we will also uncover some of the darkness. Sometimes we will be pointing out ideas and practices that perhaps no longer serve us as a society. Our hope is that we might open minds to think about whether it’s time to let go of these old ways of thinking and replace them with new ones.

As we travel the country visiting colleges and universities, we are conducting a fact-finding and fact-facing inventory. An inventory requires a deep unveiling of all aspects of a business. Nora experienced an example of this when managing a bookstore years ago: “I discovered during an inventory that we had a few amazing books that we loved, but they hadn’t sold in years. They were covered in dust and the pages had faded. We saw that if we let go of these items, we could replace them with newer, more relevant books that could improve our store.”

The question we are left with is what can we do differently? How do we discuss new ideas without them being labeled “propaganda?” What steps can both allies and the LGBTQ community take in this direction? We will address these questions through our interviews with students, staff, and faculty. Out of the Dorm Closet would also love to hear from you—your experiences, feedback, ideas, and what you would like us to include on this epic road trip!

Some of you may be wondering when this #epicroadtrip is going to start! Why aren’t we seeing posts from the road yet? Why haven’t we seen your signature rainbow boa on our college mascot yet?

As you may know, we are devoting ourselves full-time to this project. We will be packing all of our belongings into our truck and traveling around the country. To make this happen, we are letting go of numerous belongings, we are tirelessly working on press releases, sponsorship proposals, researching routes to take, developing a social media following, and ensuring that as we launch Out of the Dorm Closet we aren’t just flying by the seat of our pants.

We are inspired by those who have walked similar journeys in the past. For example, Mike Marriner and Nathan Gebhard, founders of Roadtrip Nation.  “Sitting around our college apartment one night after a great evening surf, we were just chillin’, talking about what we were going to do with our lives. We were frustrated,” they describe in their book, Roadtrip Nation: A Guide to Discovering Your Path In LIfe. “It suddenly became clear to us that we needed to get out beyond the borders of campus and California and explore all the options we didn’t even know existed. We needed more information. We needed more experience. We needed to meet more people. We needed to hit the road.”

We are honoring organizations who have paved the way for LGBTQ youth activism, such as the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, GLAAD, the GSA Network, and Campus Pride.

Within the next month, we will be sharing this amazing experience with you, and hopefully inspiring others to take hold of their dreams, fight for their rights, and be the change they wish to see in the world.

People have asked, what is Out of the Dorm Closet about. So we thought we should expound upon our mission statement and tell you how it came about. 

We wanted to take a road trip across the country that had a purpose. How could we make a difference in the world while having an epic road trip? How could we make every stop be about creating positive change, rather than just seeing a tourist attraction?

We developed a quest to visit as many schools as possible, in an effort to learn what colleges and universities are offering for their LGBTQ students.

Do they have a Gay Straight Alliance? Do they have an LGBTQ center? How does the school cooperate with their surrounding LGBTQ communities? Is the institution supporting their LGBTQ students and faculty? Do students feel safe enough to come out of the closet? 

We hope that our blog will serve as a resource for prospective students (and their parents) when deciding on a school.

We are also striving to create a resource to assist schools in generating LGBTQ supportive environments by seeing what other colleges and universities are doing.

Harvey Milk serves as a tremendous inspiration for us and this project. We think he summed up our vision when he said, “All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.”

When I first came out while at Bowdoin in the late ’90s, we had a small Gay-Straight Alliance. To this day, I am incredibly grateful for this group and for the opportunity to serve as the co-chair my senior year. When my partner and I planned a visit to Bowdoin, twenty years later, I knew I had to check out the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. 

I immediately imagined how comforting it would have been to have a space like this to go to and know that I was safe to be me. Curling up on the couch to study, participating in their weekly dinner, and just knowing that there were staff members and students who were striving to make my experience better – I didn’t have that, but I am so happy to know that current and future Bowdoin students do. I was impressed to learn how they have worked with the athletic department, held workshops with celebrity athletes who are out, and created ally training for team members. A photo project representing the LGBTQ community hung on the wall of the main room, reminding me of one a fellow classmate had created that never had a home like this one has. 

Most of all I was struck by the full-time staff member, Kate Stern, and her excitement and focus on creating a more LGBTQ-inclusive environment at Bowdoin. Already they are creating gender-neutral bathroom policies and are working diligently with the Deans to move forward in what it means to be LGBTQ at Bowdoin. 
Sitting in the purple chairs, talking to Kate, is now one of the defining moments of my life. This is where Out of The Dorm Closet started to grow in my mind. I knew in that moment that Higher Ed LGBTQ advocacy was something I needed to be a part of.