TLU has changed a lot over the years in many ways, and of course, its LGBT+ community has undergone changes right along with it. I interviewed Dr. Sia and Dr. Vrooman, two professors who have been working on this campus for a long time and have been active allies all the while. This article will focus on Dr. Sia’s responses to my questions.

Dr. Sia requested that I begin by looking at her answer to my final question. In that question, I had asked if she had any closing remarks or information she’d like to include, and she explained to me the importance of the surrounding context in this situation: “Texas is not particularly pro-gay, as shown by politicians advocating treatments to Un-gay people. Many students are not “Out” and risk losing family support, and their college funding if they come out. There are also probably sub-cultures at TLU (Majors, athletic teams, or even roommates). Students who are not out to others (or even themselves) will not seek out, complain, or receive outreach from TLU, because of the risk. I can think of dozens of students (across my 16 years), who came out after leaving college and being able to support themselves. Some of these students while at TLU mouthed the conservative rhetoric about the LGBTQIA+ community. So when you ask about the LGBTQIA+ community at TLU, I tend to think about both those out and those still in the closet.”

Dr. Sia raised important points in this vein. TLU, even if it is an LGBT+-friendly campus, is still located in a small conservative town in a conservative state, so anti-LGBT+ rhetoric isn’t uncommon in this area. Not to mention that she’s right: it’s important to not only consider students who are out and feel comfortable enough to join organizations like S.A.F.E., but to make closeted students feel welcome and to address their needs as well.

When I asked her what her thoughts are on the way TLU currently handles its LGBTQ+ student population, Dr. Sia answered that TLU tries very hard and does well with its programming, but that there’s always room for improvement in its policies. “Different areas/majors/teams/divisions are not always on the same page, some good policies are in place, but the is always room for improvement and some policies not always clear or in place. Policies are also dependent on people reading them, and you may be aware students don’t always read the syllabus, and I suspect they click that they read the Student Handbook, rather than reading it. I may be wrong and would be delighted to find this so, but humans in general prefer to assume they know the fine print, without reading it. This means that members of our community don’t know about resources they need when they need them.”

As to the evolutionary timeline itself, I asked her how she felt TLU had changed over the years in terms of the way it takes care of LGBT+ students. “(There is) more widespread programing about LGBTQIA+. There have been several campus events that were supported and well attended, like the talk by Mathew Sheppard’s mom, and dramatic media events. The Krost on “Stop Gender Violence” had sessions on LGBT+. Since Trump’s election, there have been more widespread discussions about hate speech and LGBTQIA+ has been included. There have been faculty and staff trainings on inclusion and equity. There have been workshops on Title IX that include Trans, and LGBTQIA+ language and support.

“This has led to more outspoken allies among student leaders and faculty. Most if not all of the social Greek organizations have had openly Gay members. Many of the athletic teams, with notable exceptions, have LGBTQIA+ students. I think this has a lot to do with TLU’s ongoing discussion about inclusion and community.”