The GLBT Student Support Services Office: A Brief History

By: Lee Eubanks, Bicentennial Intern, Class of 2018, History, Bloomington

History provides a precedent. By journeying through archives, perusing historical texts, or experiencing the latest exhibit at a museum, one can discover a place of belonging among the past. For LGBTQ+ individuals, an understanding of queer history is vital. Often faced with marginalization and discrimination, the queer community can turn to history for support and confirmation of their identities, as well as to learn of contributions made by those like them.

Through IU’s Bicentennial internship, I have worked to construct a timeline that outlines significant events in queer history at IU Bloomington. From the founding of the Kinsey Institute in 1947, to the inception of the Bloomington Gay Liberation Front in 1970, to the authorization of the GLBT Student Support Services Office in 1994, IU and Bloomington have been host to the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in a myriad of ways.

On May 3^rd 1994, IU’s Budgetary Affairs Committee authorized an allotment of $50,000 to fund a campus center for gay, lesbian, and bisexual concerns (with “transgender” being added to the title in the following years after the establishment of the office). Although many lauded the creation of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Support Services (GLBTSSS), it also resulted in a backlash from students, alumni, and community members. For example, one retiree of IU stated, “Aside from the fact that I find homosexuality repugnant, it simply isn’t fair to those who work and attend school at IU Bloomington.”

However, this controversy was not completely unexpected, being foreseen by those who worked to establish the office. Eric Todd, a Board of Aeons member who recommended the establishment of the GLBTSSS stated, “I think there was a feeling that there probably would be some push back but that we felt like there was enough momentum and if the university got squarely behind it, that those kinds of issues would fade fairly quickly over time.” (Indiana University Bicentennial Oral History Project, Eric Todd, interview by Dina Kellams)

After considering the strong opposition to the center, then IU President Myles Brand elected to rename the GLBTSSS the Office of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs. Many LGBTQ+ students protested the name change, as well as the switch from public funding to private funding, which was made to avoid retaliation against IU from conservative politicians.

A student organization called OUT (IU’s LGBTQ+ People Union) initiated a group called Zero Tolerance that opposed this change by activities such as leafletting and protest, which eventually led to a reversal of the name change.

By November 9^th of that year, Doug Bauder was chosen to act as the coordinator of the GLBTSSS. After his appointment, Bauder stated that, “The purpose of it [GLBTSSS] is for people to be able to walk in and ask questions. It’s for the student who has to walk in and do research for a paper, and it’s for the gay, lesbian or bisexual student who is struggling.” (GLBTSSS Scrapbook, 1994-1998. Office of University Archives and Records Management, Indiana University, Bloomington.)

By November 9^th of that year, Doug Bauder was chosen to act as the coordinator of the GLBTSSS. After his appointment, Bauder stated that, “The purpose of it [GLBTSSS] is for people to be able to walk in and ask questions. It’s for the student who has to walk in and do research for a paper, and it’s for the gay, lesbian or bisexual student who is struggling.” (GLBTSSS Scrapbook, 1994-1998. Office of University Archives and Records Management, Indiana University, Bloomington.)

The GLBTSSS Office held its grand opening on January 27^th of 1995, (although the office had officially opened on November 21^st of 1994). Over 300 people attended the grand opening, signaling success for an office that still aims today to provide support for queer students and staff at IU, while also serving an educational purpose for the university at large.

For information about the GLBT Oral History Project, please visit: https://blogs.iu.edu/bicentennialblogs/2016/12/13/glbt-oral-history-project/