Subbaraman in the LGBTQ Center

LGBTQ Center Director Sivagami Subbaraman told the Voice that yesterday’s incident—which was described in the campus-wide email as “a written slur posted on the door of the LGBTQ Resource Center”—involved a note addressed to her personally that was taped to center’s door.

Subbaraman did not reveal the exact wording of the note, but said it was directed at her personally, not the wider gay community.

“I have no idea whether this is because of the recent hate crimes or not, but whatever it is, I just want to say that I’m not afraid of their fear,” Subbaraman said. “They are afraid of me, but I’m not afraid of their fear.”

Subbaraman said she was pleased with the University’s inclusion of her in the response to the crimes through every step of the process, including drafting the emails that went out to students after each incident.

Now, she said, the power to fight homophobia lies with the campus community. Subbaraman encourages students of all orientations to use the LGBTQ Center as a safe space, but also as an informational resource for those who are unfamiliar or disagree with homosexuality.

“We have to put out a call to say, ‘Look, we can talk this out,’” Subbaraman said. “We have made so much progress since the Center was opened. I’m nervous that this is going to set us back.”

Full text of the e-mail Subbaran sent to members of GU Pride Monday afternoon after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Student Affairs VP Todd Olson announced in a broadcast email this week that the long-promised LGBTQ Resource Center — one of GU Pride’s major demands throughout their yearlong conversation with the administration — has someone lined up to fill the director position. Her name is Sivagami Subbaraman, and she certainly sounds qualified for the job; she’s currently the Associate Director of the University of Maryland’s Office of LGBT Equity.

I’m a little surprised, though, that current Director of LBGTQ Community Resources Bill McCoy wasn’t tapped for the top job. McCoy is also the Associate Director of Student Programs, though, and perhaps he (or another admin) wanted him to stick with that rather than running the new center. Either way, choosing a director is a commendable concrete step forward for a process that’s been characterized by drawn-out working group negotiations and back-and-forth bureaucracy.