The Saint Anselm College Core Council for LGBQ – now LGBTQ – Students and Ally Support is ready to move forward this semester with some council-related announcements and new events.

Last spring, the Core Council requested a formal acquisition of the letter “T” for the LGBQ acronym, which they include in the description of their group in order for faculty and students to identify the type of support the group offers on campus. The LGBQ acronym, now modified to LGBTQ, includes the identification of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Questioning persons. With the addition of the letter “T”, the group can move forward with support for Transgender persons also.

Beth Gabert ’17, a member of the Core Council, mentioned that the acquisition of the letter “T” was more so for recognition of the full LGBTQ community on campus.

“It gives a sort of validity to what being transgender actually is in our community,” Gabert said.

The official charge of the Core Council states, “The purpose of the Core Council for LGBTQ students is to act as a resource to the Vice President for Student Affairs in identifying the ongoing needs of LGBTQ students and to assist in implementing campus-wide educational programming on sexual orientation issues.”

In a letter last April to Dr. Joseph Horton, Vice President for Student Affairs, last April, the Core Council stated they wanted to “raise… concerns to [Dr. Horton], Dr. DiSalvo, and members of our community who make decisions regarding this issue” of acquiring the letter “T”.

Throughout the subsequent months, the council hosted their annual events on campus, and also brought Ash Beckham to speak at the Dana Center for the Arts. Beckham is a dynamic LGBTQ presenter who speaks about empathy, respect, and the power of having real conversations.

After several months of events and campus-wide support, the Core Council received a response and officially added the letter “T”, thus becoming the Core Council for LGBTQ Students and Ally Support.

More than five years ago, the University of Notre Dame’s LGBTQ group for students inspired the creation of the Core Council at Saint Anselm College. As a result, the Core Council came together, consisting of students, faculty and staff.

It is co-chaired by a college administrator and Vice President of SGA and housed under Student Affairs. This council-based structure allows the group to engage, offer support, and educate the students, faculty, and staff of our community at Saint Anselm.

The Core Council desires “simply to be a pastoral, safe space for all members of [the] community,” as stated in their letter requesting the “T”.

Many members of the Core Council believe the group to be a very hospitable output on campus for the LGBTQ community. In the last three to four years especially, there have been more opportunities for on-campus dialogue regarding LGBTQ issues, including Beckham’s visit to campus, during which she commented on difficult conversations like race, gender, and identity.

When Beckham had an open conversation with members of the Core Council, she commented on how wonderful it was to have the concept of “being an Anselmian.” By having that common core that binds a community together, such as “being an Anselmian,” Beckham noticed that our community has found something that brings us together and allows us to create an environment that is respectful and understanding.

The council continues to make strides forward with their “Benedictine value of hospitality,” many of which the Saint Anselm community will see during this upcoming school year.

Haley Lyons, a Saint A’s sophomore and member of the Core Council, sheds light on a new project inspired by the council.

“Members of the Core Council,” said Lyons, “as well as other Saint Anselm College students, have begun taking the first steps in creating a GSA-type club on campus.”

Full details on the club are still to come, but in the meantime students should look forward to more events this semester, such as the