Date: Sat, 25 Mar 1995 05:01:30 -0800 From: John.M.Blandford.2@nd.edu (Blandford) Subject: Notre Dame Gay Group Publishes Response to Policy Dear all - Thought this might be of interest. Yesterday, Friday, March 24, GLND/SMC took out a full-page ad in The Observer, the student daily of Notre Dame and St. Mary's College. It provided our first real opportunity to respond at length to recent published statement of VP for Student Affairs Patricia O'Hara, and to a letter distributed to over 7000 undergraduates by Rev. Richard Warner, csc, Counselor to the President and Director of Campus Ministry. The very publication of the GLND/SMC statement is significant in that The Observer has, for the last six years, been under orders not to publish ads in which GLND/SMC is mentioned. The editorial board and staff felt that in the interest of fairness we should be allowed the opportunity to respond to the two-page ad published by Ms. O'Hara earlier in March. We must thank The Observer for its integrity and courage in allowing us to publish a response. The publication of the ad stretched us a bit financially, but we felt it important for the ND/SMC community to get an "unspun" version of who we are and why we find the recent administration arguments and proposals unconvincing. The following is the text of the ad and is a public document, so feel free to use it appropriately and forward it to whomever you like. Maintain the Pride, John AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NOTRE DAME AND SAINT MARY'S COMMUNITY ON ADMINISTRATION POLICY TOWARD LESBIANS, GAYS AND BISEXUALS Just prior to spring break, Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia O'Hara issued a public response to the Campus Life Council's resolution calling for the granting of official status to the long-unrecognized Gays and Lesbians at Notre Dame and St. Mary's College (GLND/SMC). We were pleased to see that Prof. O'Hara affirms lesbians and gays as integral and valued members of the Notre Dame community and speaks of "the University's genuine desire to acknowledge and affirm the presence of gay and lesbian students in our midst." This statement represents an important and appreciated step forward in the life of our community. The arguments put forward and the conclusion reached, however, are at odds with the affirmative statements that Prof. O'Hara makes. We were pained to see that the Office of Student Affairs seems unable to rid itself of the belief that somehow, at the core, lesbians and gay men are less responsible, less faithful, and less worthy of trust than are heterosexual peers. We do not say this to be inflammatory or to score rhetorical points, but because after carefully reading the statement and listening to public defenses of the administration policy, it is sadly the only conclusion we can draw. In the continued denial of recognition for GLND/SMC, in the proposed committee, and in imposition of Campus Ministry as our only gathering space--each seems to reflect a belief that others know better than we what we need. In rejecting the call for the recognition of GLND/SMC, Prof. O'Hara seeks to close off any further discussion of the issue. Indeed, the committee to be formed is proscribed from addressing "recognition of GLND/SMC or another student group." We are told of our "philosophical dissent from Church teaching." Incredibly, Prof. O'Hara cites as evidence of this dissent a proposal that GLND/SMC borrowed from Fr. Malloy's doctoral dissertation. No other group on campus is held to such a rigid standard of orthodoxy. No other group is expected to prove over and over again that it does not dissent with Church teaching. We find it demeaning that any gathering of gays and lesbians not closely supervised by ecclesial authorities must be suspect. The Faculty Senate's overwhelming rejection of Prof. O'Hara's response the day after it was published rightly calls into question the theological and philosophical underpinnings of the administration's intransigent refusal of recognition for GLND/SMC and its treatment of lesbians and gays. In proposing that a committee be formed to advise on issues not related to the recognition question, Prof. O'Hara is overriding the function of the Campus Life Council, the body empowered by the university to advise Student Affairs on issues related to student life. Worse, the two spaces reserved on the committee for gay or lesbian students will be filled only by persons pre-screened by Prof. O'Hara. GLND/SMC has not been contacted even to offer recommendations of qualified persons to serve on the committee. This despite the fact that it has been GLND/SMC addressing the needs of and providing support to a group largely ignored by the administration. And all GLND/SMC has done since 1984 has been accomplished through volunteer labor and self-generated funding. Despite this decade-long record of service, the gays and lesbians of GLND/SMC are given no place at the table. In now telling us that the Campus Ministry is where Notre Dame's gays and lesbians can best be served, the administration is ignoring and denying a troubled history with this office. Sadly, Campus Ministry has not always shown itself to be a safe or welcoming place for Notre Dame's lesbians, gays and bisexuals. It is painful for us to discuss this history. Many fine, caring people have worked in the Office of Campus Ministry, and a few individuals in this office have demonstrated genuine concern for the needs of our community. As an institution, however, Campus Ministry has over the last decade left gays and lesbians feeling marginalized or worse. For most of the 1992-93 academic year, one of the GLND/SMC co-chairs worked with Fr. Tom McDermott to establish a Campus Ministry outreach to gays and lesbians, but the initiative was killed by superiors. Just last year, during the "Keeping the Faith" series on sexuality, gays and lesbians were explicitly excluded from participation on a student panel. The message of that exclusion was not lost on the many of us who attended the series. Most seriously, we have had reports from former students who indicate that they were "outed" to parents and others at Notre Dame by the former director of Campus Ministry. These stories are painful to hear, and their telling re-opens deep wounds for the victims of the outing incidents. It is important, we believe, that these allegations be addressed honestly, because Notre Dame's gays and lesbians are being told that Campus Ministry is to serve as the substitute for GLND/SMC. We are reluctant to relive this past, but Fr. Richard Warner's recent statements force us to address the issue directly. On March 1 of this year Fr. Warner, writing as director of Campus Ministry, sent a letter to all undergraduate students at Notre Dame. There is much in the content and tone of this letter that we, as gays and lesbians, find troubling and divisive. Most distressing, however, is Fr. Warner's easy dismissal of past wrongs said to have been committed by the Office of Campus Ministry toward gay and lesbian students. Fr. Warner wrote: "We never have and never will, knowingly or unknowingly, 'out' someone to parents nor to anyone else including other staff members. Such an action would simply be unconscionable. This accusation has been made and refuted on numerous occasions. It is false." We are disturbed that neither Fr. Warner nor other staff in Campus Ministry contacted us to determine the source of these allegations before dismissing them as false. An alumnus, who was shown a copy of Fr. Warner's letter, wrote to Fr. Warner on March 17; a copy of his correspondence was forwarded to the leadership of GLND/SMC. The former student describes how Fr. Warner's predecessor, Fr. Andre Leveille, phoned the student's mother to tell her that her son was gay, and instructed her that it was a matter of "university policy" to inform parents whenever a student was found out to be homosexual. The student's rector was also told of his sexual orientation without the student's permission. Such an action is indeed "unconscionable." Most distressingly, it seems to have been but one of many incidents. We know of no such breaches of confidence under Father Warner's tenure as director of Campus Ministry, but we are disturbed that past abuses are simply denied and the victims' credibility impugned. As lesbians and gay men, as elected leaders of GLND/SMC, we would like to put this painful history behind us. We believe it important that a process of healing and reconciliation between the Office of Campus Ministry and the lesbian and gay members of the Notre Dame community begin. But this process will be hindered--and trust will be justifiably slow to come--without a frank acknowledgment of past transgressions. Clearly, the establishment of a Campus Ministry program at this time is premature and, in the present context, can serve only to divide rather than unite. We call upon Fr. Malloy to undertake a thorough, credible investigation of these allegations, determine the severity and extent of the alleged abuses, and publicly report the findings. The Notre Dame community, its lesbian and gay members and, most especially, the victims of any past abuses by Campus Ministry are owed that much. The attitude that lesbians and gay men cannot be trusted to identify and properly address their own needs is disrespectful and must be ended. Such an attitude fosters a belief that others know better and is likely what motivates those who would breach confidence. The time has come to truly understand the lesbian, gay and bisexual students, faculty and staff as "valued and integral members of the Notre Dame community." This understanding must, however, go beyond words and be demonstrated by a trust in our responsibility and faithfulness as members of this community, a trust that must include the formal recognition of GLND/SMC. The understanding ought to entail a respect for our ability to be meaningful participants in the formation of future policy toward lesbians and gays on this campus. GLND/SMC should be held to the same standards as any other group on this campus--nothing more, nothing less. It is simply a matter of justice. Kelly Smith, GLND/SMC Co-Chair John Blandford, GLND/SMC Co-Chair B. J. Bruther, Board Member Jesus Uresti, Board Member