On April 7 the Love Wins initiative that has been making waves across campus will have their own official day devoted to their mission supporting the LGBT community on campus.
“Love Wins is a project funded by a Sinclair Diversity Grant,” Kate Geiselman English instructor and one of the Love Wins committee members said. “A small group of faculty came together last spring in response to some troubling messages we had seen on campus, namely that being gay is a choice, that gay people have an ‘agenda’ and other harmful myths.”
Love Wins was birthed as a response to the anti-gay views of Peter LaBarbera during a speech hosted by the Traditional Values club last year in the Library Loggia.
“We wanted to figure out a way to show students that the small but vocal group on campus that opposes LGBT rights does not represent Sinclair,” said Geiselman. “…and we wanted to ensure that accurate information about gender and sexuality was available.”
The committee group made of six women applied for the Sinclair Community College Cultural Diversity Grant 2014-2015 to host a series of events on campus in the name of Love Wins.
“We have hosted a series of Sinclair talks, including two panels, a “Mythbusters” presentation, a visit from the Executive Director of Ohio Equality to talk about marriage and other legal protections and a lecture about religious views on homosexuality.” Geiselman said.
Love Wins also hosted Sinclair’s own ‘It Gets Better’ video. A montage of students and faculty expressing positive remarks and hopeful images for the future for children and teens suffering with sexual and gender identity issues.
“Love Wins has successfully improved social support, positive campus activism, and awareness of diverse groups on campus, particularly the LGBTQ community,” Said Jane Cammel, one of the committee members of love wins and one of the co-advisors of Sinclair’s gay straight alliance know as Brite Signal Alliance. “Love Wins programs have exposed the bigotry and ignorance that underlies many of the stereotypes perpetuated by some individuals regarding LGBTQ people.”
The Love Wins advising committee is made up of a mix of women representing a handful of academic backgrounds. Kathleen Hotmer of the Theatre department, Anne Soltysiak and Marlow Davis of the Psychology department, Kate Geiselman and Becky Morean of the English department and Jane Cammel of the paralegal department.
More recently Love Wins has grabbed the attention of the mayor of Dayton, Nan Whaley, and Have a Gay Day, a nonprofit geared towards changing ‘the world by creating a community that strives for the greatest impact for our generation and those that follow in our footsteps.’
“Mayor Whaley has a long record of supporting the LGBT community,” Geiselman said, “We knew she had made proclamations for other local groups in favor of their causes. When we asked about naming April 7 Love Wins day, she enthusiastically agreed.”
Love Wins Day will take place on Sinclair Campus April 7 starting at 2:00 p.m. in the lobby of Blair Hall.
“There will be a faculty workshop from 2:00 p.m. till 4:00 p.m. The free and public events will take place in the evening in Blair Hall.” Geiselman said, “We will begin with a screening of the Rubi Girls documentary at 6:00 p.m., followed by an informational/poster session in the lobby of Blair Hall with resources for LGBT people and allies.”
“Personally, I am very gratified by the number of faculty members that have welcomed and supported Love Wins’ presence on campus.” Cammel said, acting as a liaison between Love Wins and BriTe SiGnaL Alliance, “Even more gratifying is the support that our students have shown to LGBTQ students that have had the courage to discuss their life experiences through panel discussions.” Jane Cammel also noted that Brite Signal Alliance will have an information table and a poster on microaggression at Love Wins Day.
“At 7:00 p.m., Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride, will deliver a keynote address about ‘The Impact of Hate’ offering strategies to prevent and respond to hate speech,” Geiselman said.
Shane Windmeyer is a leading author on gay campus issues, national leader in gay and lesbian civil rights and a champion for LGBT issues on college campuses. Windmeyer is also the cofounder and director of Campus Pride, the only national organization for working to create a safer college atmosphere for LGBT students.
Following Windmeyer, a group of representatives from the Rubi Girls, Equality Ohio, Have a Gay Day, PFLAG and a few other organizations will talk about their ideas for the future and how Sinclair and Dayton can help move the cause of equality for all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
“It’s really just a time and place for students and the community to come together in support of diversity. To share information, resources, and strategies for forwarding equal rights for all,” Geiselman said. “Come with open minds and open hearts. Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with guests and ask questions during the panel discussion.”
“More than anything else,” Cammel began. “I believe that hearing the voices of our LGBTQ students have opened the hearts and minds of people previously lacking in understanding due to unfounded stereotypes perpetuated by other people and the media.”
The grant for Love Wins expires at the end of the academic year but both Jane Cammel and Kate Geiselman have expressed their undying passion for the cause and noted that support for the LGBT students at Sinclair will not stop here.
James Duty
Reporter