Straight Ally Week kicks off

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The Office of Gay and Lesbian Programs and the Gay Straight Alliance will sponsor several events today through Friday in honor of Straight Ally Week.

“We need to recognize straight allies as a part of the LGBT community,” said Holt senior and GSA co-president Matt Darling. “The LGBT community can’t do it alone. They need the support of straight allies.”

The GSA will kick off the week’s events with a presentation titled, “LGBTA: Where Does the ‘A’ Fit?” The program starts at 7 p.m. Monday in Bovee University Center’s Lake St. Clair Room.

Howell graduate student and GSA Pride co-chair Stasi Russell said straight allies are going to explain what it means to be an ally and how students can help in the LGBT community. The presentation also will include a question-and-answer session.

“Hopefully, through Straight Ally Week, we can get more allies,” Darling said.

On Tuesday, the GSA will set up tables and a button-making machine in the lower floor of the Bovee University Center for people to make their own ally buttons and give donations. The buttons are free and anyone can participate.

The GSA will show a movie at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Multicultural Education Center. Russell said the movie will be a comedy and have a straight ally theme, but could not elaborate further due to copyright issues.

On Thursday, the organization will present “Here is Your Inspiration… You’re Gay… Action” at 7 p.m. in the Calkins Terrace Lounge.

“We’re going to discuss professional straight actors who play gay characters, such as Sean Penn, who played Harvey Milk (in ‘Milk’),” Russell said.

An open mind

Russell said she believes Straight Ally Week is important for the campus because it educates students outside the LGBT community about equal rights. She is passionate about the issue because she has friends in the LGBT community and wants them to have the same rights she does.

“I’ve been actively fighting for this cause since I was 14,” she said. “My best friend in high school came out to me, and I knew I had to be there for him.”

Straight Ally Week allows students to become more involved, Darling said.

“This is something people can do right now,” he said. “Students that don’t get family support can get support on campus.”

Russell said the ultimate goal of Straight Ally Week is to open people’s minds and educate them about LGBT issues.

“This isn’t just a gay issue — it’s an equality issue,” she said.