The first day of camp was terrific! More details here... :)

On their first evening, campers were given the task of ethically and inclusively managing the gendered restrooms in each of their halls. This is what happened...

A professor at the University of Illinois, who taught courses on Catholicism in the school's religion department, has not been asked to return next semester. The instructor, Kenneth Howell, says the decision is a violation of his academic freedoms and claims the termination came after a student complained about an email he sent to students, in which he described homosexuality as a violation of "natural law."

According to The (Champaign, Ill.) News-Gazette, Howell wrote the email in preparation for an exam on natural law theory.

"Natural Moral Law says that Morality must be a response to REALITY," he wrote in the email, published by The News-Gazette. "In other words, sexual acts are only appropriate for people who are complementary, not the same."

Later in the email, Howell says society has disassociated sexuality and morality.

The student who complained about the professor's email took his concerns to the head of the university's religion department and other faculty. He called Howell's comments hate speech.

"Teaching a student about the tenets of a religion is one thing," the student wrote. "Declaring that homosexual acts violate the natural laws of man is another. The courses at this institution should be geared to contribute to the public discourse and promote independent thought; not limit one's worldview and ostracize people of a certain sexual orientation."

Howell has retained the services of the Alliance Defense Fund, an anti-LGBT legal defense organization based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

If you're an American college student, or a high school student on the threshold of college, you've got comprehensive resources to guide you toward LGBT-friendly colleges, including Campus Pride's LGBT-friendly Campus Climate Index and our regional LGBT-Friendly College Fairs.

But, not until this month did students in the United Kingdom (or students from elsewhere looking to go to the U.K.) have similar in-depth and national resources. Stonewall, the United Kingdom's national LGBT advocacy and education organization, has announced their Stonewall University Guide.

They were profiled in The Guardian yesterday.

"Each student will want something different from their university experience and we have been very clear in the guide that this is just one of the many things they should be looking at," Luke Tryl, who researched the guide, tells the newspaper. "All students should feel safe and supported and able to perform well. But some may want a very active gay scene, some will want a community and strong LGBT society, others may want to campaign."

Read the piece at The Guardian, or you can check out Stonewall's University Guide.

So the school year has finally ended, and I feel like I can honestly say that I’m proud of the work I’ve done with OPEN. Everyone warned me that junior year is the hardest, and those warnings proved true. Besides the boat load of work, I managed to make it out alive with good grades and a successful club. Talk about a job well done. :)

This summer will largely be spent getting in contact with the people OPEN hopes to work with next year. For starters, the first group I’ll be hitting up is the local Boys and Girls Club. A wonderful volunteer and Clark alum started up a program to help eliminate the bullying and homophobia shared by patrons and staff members alike there. I’m hoping to continue the program with OPEN next year as we spread out into the Worcester community.

The club is really excited for a queer prom this upcoming year. I’m not really sure what it will consist of or where it will be held, but hopefully contacting the other LGBTQA groups in the area will start something. Any advice?

I’ll keep you posted over the summer with any developments!

After endless banner making, facebook spamming, and rainbow-ifying, OPEN’s Week of Awareness went off with a minimal number of hitches and horror stories. Alright, well no real horror stories, but the realization that you’re out a sound tech before a benefit concert is mildly gut-wrenching. Ahem, let me recap:

WIN $10,000 in FREE Entertainment for Your Campus

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MON, APRIL 26

OUTmedia & Campus Pride "Be Queer, Buy Queer!" International Video Contest

Learn more online at www.OUTmedia.org

THE SUMMER CAMP
EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT...

"I have come to realize that without Campus Pride & Camp, I would have never felt the true empowerment that I feel everyday. I would never have truly voiced my opinion on what is needed on campus. It is because of Camp that my fire can never ever again be put out. It is because of Camp that I know even if only small changes are made, I will still be leaving my campus better off." -- Roxie Schmidt, (Camp Class of 2009) University of Wisconsin -- Eau Claire

CAMPUS PRIDE
SUMMER LEADERSHIP CAMP

July 20-25, 2010
hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN

REGISTER NOW
Learn more online at www.campuspride.org/camp.asp

SPACE IS LIMITED
Register Before April 16, 2010
for Happy Camper Discount Rate

Campus Pride organizes the only Summer Leadership Camp for LGBT and Ally college students. The five-day camp experience works to develop stronger undergraduate student leaders and safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. Participants have the opportunity to learn valuable campus organizing skills, coalition building and strategies for creating change at colleges and universities.

Believe In -- Campus Pride. Campus Pride is the leading national nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. It exists to give "voice and action" in building future LGBT and ally leaders. More info online at www.campuspride.org.

Tonight ESPN senior writer LZ Granderson speaks at Bowdoin College as part of the Campus Pride Voice & Action Award recognizing outstanding LGBT and ally college leaders across the country.

OUTmedia awarded George Aumoithe, Jr. of Bowdoin College a FREE Speaker of his choice for winning the national honor.

LZ Granderson lecture: Men, Manhood, and Mayhem: The Real Reasons Behind Homophobia in Sports
Friday April 9, 8:00 pm, Kresge Auditorium (Visual Arts Center)
LZ Granderson is a senior writer adn columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com, as well as a regular contributor for ESPN's Sports Center, Outside the Lines and First Take. He is perhaps the most visible openly gay sports journalist in the nation.

Campus Sponsors; Department of Art, Athletics, Bowdoin Men Against Sexual Violence, Bowdoin Queer Straight Alliance, Gay and Lesbian Studies Program, Office of Residential Life, Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, and Student Activities. For more information, please contact kstern@bowdoin.edu.

LZ Granderson's visit to Bowdoin is sponsored by OUTmedia in honor of George Aumoithe '11 winning this year's Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Award. For information about the award and George's leadership and activism please go to Campus Pride and Bowdoin News. For information about OUTmedia please see www.OUTmedia.org

DON'T FORGET -- BE QUEER, BUY QUEER INTERNATIONAL VIDEO CONTEST

I met with some of my Point family this weekend for our Regional Leadership Forum. They always get the ideas flowing and my ambition skyrocketing, so I’ve managed to crank out some thoughts about campus organizing.

The first question I have to tackle is that of definition; what do LGBTQA orgs on campuses do? My school is a small one, with an undergrad population around 2,200. Our queer group is all-inclusive, catering to social, political, and academic needs. We seem to have a chronic condition of multiple personalities, discussing a variety of issues within our hour-long weekly meeting. I understand that larger schools oftentimes split their LGBTQA groups between social and political frameworks, or they piece apart the queer letters. While this may lock onto particular missions, there is still some ambiguity that I wonder about. Are queer groups meant to finagle ourselves into larger social and volunteer networks, asserting our own presence and therefore “normalcy”? Are our political mission supposed to work on a governmental level, or should the focus rest on the immediate community? Do we benefit more through inter-college networking or community connections? And how do we divide our attention and resources to meet all these different areas of concern?

What rides on eight wheels and wears pink flannel?

Me. :)

OPEN recently attended Roll-on America's Pride Skate Night. Everyone had a blast, and hopefully there will be more skate nights in the future. I suggest that other schools try this one out. Check out your local roller rinks, see how they feel about a pride skate. Or just go for a casual outing with members. Chances are at least a third of ya will fall on your butts—which really only makes it better!