First Meeting

When: Tue. Sept. 11 at 5:00 pm

Where: O'Brian 102 (North Campus)

What: The first meeting of the year for the UB Pride Alliance. Actually, this will be the first meeting ever. There will be an introduction to the group and we will discuss the goals of the group. There will also be a chance for everyone to have input on meeting times.


If you have any comments or ideas please make a comment on this post. This blog will serve as an area for brainstorming and organization. If you are interested in becoming an author for the blog to be able to add an article when you have something to say, please, contact me at prideallies@gmail.com

Everyone Has a Right to Protection

Looking for Members, Officers and Authors

Hey,

I recently handed out GSA info cards on campus, so if you are looking at the blog I hope that means you are interested. UBGSA is still in its infant stage and won't really start until next fall, but I need to start getting a member base and a couple officers.

This group will be a part of the law school and the undergrad college, and I am also working on getting more people and groups from the community interested in working with us next year on different projects. The constitution is still being written, but I can post it if you want me too, when it is finished.

I am hoping that the group will have a bigger straight membership than it does GLBT next year, because there are way more straight people on campus than gay and the more the merrier and more powerful we will be.

I also am looking for authors to add to the blog so it can have more breadth of info and perspectives, and so it has a continuous flow of new posts and ideas.

If you are interested in being an author please write me an email telling me a bit of what you want out of the group, any goals you think it should have and a verification that you are a UB student, for example, send the email to me from your UB email account and you can give me your personal one if it is different.

OFFICERS: If you are interested in taking on a bigger role and spending more time with this group next year and you want to be an officer, please write me and give me the same info and verification as those interested in being blog authors.

People interested in being members, just email me from any account, you do not have to be a UB student. Or you can just sign up to be notified of new blog posts, but if I can get together a mailing list, setting up meetings next year will be easier.


Thanks,

Phil

Spread the Word

Hey,

If you know anyone from UB send them a link to this blog. If you are a student at UB or from the Buffalo/Niagara community and are interested in becoming involved with the UB Pride Alliance next year send me an email at prideallies@gmail.com.

I will look forward to hearing from you, even if it is just one line.

Thanks,

Phil

FAGS (original)

FAGS

This picture is from a stretch of sidewalk on the campus at UB. The picture is photo-shopped slightly, but only for contrast and brightness. The human eye can take in a lot more than a camera lens, but even with photo shop I could not get it to burn on the screen like it did in my eyes. On the same stretch of sidewalk, the words "FAGS" and "FAG" are scrawled three times. I notified the university system through the campus police, on Wed. April 11, at 3:31 pm EDT. They said they would take care of it. This is what is looks like today.

I have talked to many people at UB who say they don't think that there is a problem with discrimination toward GLBT people. One girl even argued that using the word "GAY" as a negative word (synonymous with stupid, idiotic, unfair, lame or even ass-hole) is not discriminatory and not offensive (needless to say, she is not gay). Well, I don't offer this picture as proof that discrimination is still here. I just want people to think about it. Maybe we should all think about how easy it is to point out a group of people and make them the brunt of a joke or a favorite insult word.

The word "fag" is an extremely derogatory word, but it is also a very common word to hear in high schools, on college campuses, and while hanging-out with friends (or not-so-friends as it may be).

Here is another picture from the sidewalk. And in the next post I will show the originals (before photo shop). Homophobia is alive and well, and it is up to you and me to put an end to it.