The following is a guest blog from University of Notre Dame student Alex Coccia ('14), of Notre Dame's student-led "4 to 5 Movement," an initiative seeking to gain wider acceptance and support for LGBT students on the campus of the Indiana, Catholic-affiliated school. Campus Pride has been keeping up with Coccia's and other students' efforts. Our executive director, Shane Windmeyer, recently wrote about Notre Dame and another religious school, Pepperdine, at the Huffington Post . We believe it is important to support Notre Dame and Pepperdine students in their efforts to make their campus safer and more inclusive for LGBT students.

Statement from Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer:
"Campus Pride commends the LGBT and ally students at the University of Notre Dame for not giving up on their quest for inclusion and safety, despite the challenges posed by administrators," said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. "Faith empowers us to believe in something greater than ourselves. In particular, the Catholic faith, upon which Notre Dame bases its mission, calls upon each of those in the Notre Dame community to live in mutual respect, love and Christian fellowship. The faith and fellowship of LGBT and ally Notre Dame students is strong and they are showing courage and leadership. The University of Notre Dame and other private, religiously-affiliated colleges need to do the right thing and fulfill their mission to their students and their faith. All students deserve support and safety at college. It is time for the University of Notre Dame to recognize its LGBT students as part of its campus faith community by ensuring their safety and academic success."

The 4 to 5 Movement at Notre Dame: A Majority for Full Inclusion

By Alex Coccia ‘14, University of Notre Dame

The spark for the 4 to 5 Movement – a movement for full inclusion for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students, faculty and staff at Notre Dame – came in March 2011, when Brian Sims, the first openly gay college football captain, spoke about the importance of allies to create a safe and welcoming environment on college campuses. Citing the Pew Forum, Hamilton College polls, and the National Youth poll, he said:

Four out of five college students or college-educated people between the ages of eighteen and thirty in the United States right now support the general package of gay civil rights…. Eighty percent of you support my rights. You only think that it’s about a third of you.

The students who heard that speech recognized the same dynamic at the University of Notre Dame. Experience had shown that there is a supportive majority of students, faculty, and staff; and yet, there is either a vocal minority that keeps the majority silent, or there are structures in place that make it seem as though being an ally is not the norm. In many respects, both cases are true. On campus, a minority contributes to an unwelcoming atmosphere through hateful slurs, ingrained dorm “traditions” which are insensitive to any GLBTQ students, and the presence on campus of those who have claimed that a gay and lesbian student group would be the same as a student bestiality club. However, the structures and policies of the University amplify the voice of the intolerant minority by refusing to recognize any form of a gay-straight alliance student club and refusing to include “sexual orientation” to its non-discrimination clause.

A GLBTQ or GLBTQ-Ally themed student group has been denied official club status at Notre Dame at least fifteen times. Despite pressure from students, faculty, and staff, the non-discrimination clause remains unchanged. (For more information on Notre Dame policy, visit http://nextgenjournal.com/2011/11/the-4-to-5-movement-due-time-is-due-now/). Upon recognition that these structural issues severely hinder any true steps towards inclusion on campus, the 4 to 5 Movement was begun by the Progressive Student Alliance with three goals. First, it aims to raise the voices of the allies on campus—those silenced or overwhelmed by the loud minority. Those involved aim to make it clear that being an ally makes someone part of the majority, and that majority has the ability and the solidarity to raise its collective voice in loud protest to the policies at the University. Second, the 4 to 5 Movement aims to create spaces on campus for dialogue about issues pertinent to the GLBTQ and ally members of the community. Third, the 4 to 5 Movement seeks to address and change these structural issues – the lack of recognition of a gay-straight alliance and the lack of “sexual orientation” in the legal non-discrimination clause.

The 4 to 5 Movement has grown to become a broad coalition comprised of Notre Dame students, faculty, staff, clubs and groups, departments and administrative bodies, alumni/ae, and non-Notre Dame groups that support full inclusion for GLBTQ members of our community. The 4 to 5 Movement is honored to have Campus Pride as a member of the coalition. The first semester of action for the 4 to 5 Movement was extremely successful. The Facebook group has grown to over 1300 members; we hung “Did you Know” posters stating facts about the situation at Notre Dame such as “Faculty and Staff at Notre Dame can be fired because of their sexual orientation” all around campus and in dorms; we held an extremely successful and well attended panel titled, “Queer Queries: Ally, Gender, and Sexual Identity at Notre Dame”; we hosted a Notre Dame Coming Out Day celebration; and perhaps most importantly, people began talking about the 4 to 5 Movement – what it stands for, what it has done, and why it is important.

This semester has already shown signs of success and momentum. The 4 to 5 Movement introduced a resolution to the Student Senate regarding the recognition for a gay-straight alliance student club. This resolution passed 21-0-2. Student Senate is currently discussing a resolution regarding the non-discrimination clause. Athletes, extremely prominent voices on campus, have become involved with the 4 to 5 Movement, posing for posters saying, “I am an Athlete. I am an Ally.” Faculty have become increasingly involved within their departments to garner support.

This semester especially has gained a lot of coalition support. Recently, the 4 to 5 Movement united with CUAllies at Catholic University of America, in order to join the movements for recognition of gay-straight alliances at the two most prominent Catholic universities in America. In the nature of Valentine’s Day, the 4 to 5 Movement hosted an Inclusive Love candlelight ceremony to build community among its members and reflect on the ever-growing need for our University to open its heart to change. This semester, the 4 to 5 Movement aims to organize as much vocal support as possible, as our gay-straight alliance, AllianceND, once again applies for club status.

Now, more than ever, is the time to gather more and more support for our efforts. For change to occur on campus, it is going to take support from those within the University – the students, faculty, and staff – and from those outside the University – the alumni/ae and anyone who believes that one should feel safe and welcome regardless of sexual orientation. We need your help. The 4 to 5 Movement has garnered more support and has organized more multi-lateral initiatives than ever before in the over-a-quarter-century long struggle for equal rights, equal protection, and equal inclusion on campus. Let’s ride the momentum.

If you would like to show your support for inclusion at Notre Dame, join the “4 to 5 Movement” page on Facebook, follow @4to5Movement on Twitter, and add your group as a member of the coalition: 4to5Movement.org/the-coalition/.
For more information on the 4 to 5 Movement, email [email protected], and visit our website at 4to5Movement.org.

This weekend, Campus Pride Founder and Executive Director Shane Windmeyer was thrilled to be honored by his alma mater, Indiana University.

On Sunday, the Indiana University Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association presented its inaugural GLBTAA Distinguished Alumni Award to Shane, an alumnus of the university's School of Education. Windmeyer attended IU Bloomington and received a master's degree in College Student Personnel Administration from the School of Education in 1997.

Some reflections from Shane: "IU -- the people, the traditions and the community -- have greatly influenced the work and accomplishments of Campus Pride. It often starts with one person 'believing in' who you are -- and then you are able to achieve success. I was lucky in that many mentors at IU stood along side me and helped me pursue my passion and believed in me. As a newly out student at IU I was able to find myself and begin my journey to what I am doing with Campus Pride today. This award is a very special honor. I am humbled by being the inaugural LGBT recipient of the award in its first year."

Many thanks to IU for their honor and for helping to spread the word about the important work of Campus Pride!

Read more about Indiana University and its award to Shane at Bloomington's Herald Times...

Campus Pride's Lambda 10 Project had phenomenally fun -- and did we mention historic? -- weekend Nov. 12-13 at the OUT & Greek National LGBT & Ally Fraternity & Sorority Leadership Conference at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

Fifteen years ago, Lambda 10 Project started at Indiana University. We returned this year, to count our successes and celebrate our history while continuing to do what we do best: building and strengthening current and future LGBT & allied fraternity members, leaders, staff and organizations.

But you know what really made our weekend? Fifteen Indiana University students were initiated into the first out-of-state chapter for Sigma Phi Beta, a a gay-straight allied fraternity that got its first start at Arizona State University in 2003. After their initiation, the Sigma Phi guys joined us at our conference. It was a blast!

Just as Campus Pride and Lambda 10 Project head to Indiana University for the 2010 OUT & Greek Fraternity Leadership Conference, we learn that gay and straight ally fraternity Sigma Phi Beta will initiate their first out-of-state members at Indiana University this weekend.

Sigma Phi Beta, founded at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., will initiate 15 members at Indiana University. The school is the home of the oldest and largest college fraternity system.

"I look forward to welcoming the new members from the Indiana University colony into our Brotherhood,” Nathan Arrowsmith, the fraternity’s national president, says in a release.

Arrowsmith will preside over the Indiana University initiation ceremony.

"The students at Indiana University have worked hard to bring Sigma Phi Beta to their campus, opening up more opportunities for gay men and their allies to experience brotherhood within the traditional Greek fraternity system," Arrowsmith says. "This is our first major step towards achieving our vision of creating a uniquely diverse safe space within the traditional Greek fraternity system on college campuses nationwide."

Sigma Phi Beta was founded in 2003. It's national organization was formed in 2005.

For more information about Sigma Phi Beta Fraternity, visit www.sigmaphibeta.org.

Nearly 50 students and staff from fraternities across the country will gather this weekend at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., for the 2010 OUT & Greek National Leadership Conference.

OUT & Greek, presented by Campus Pride's Lambda 10 Project, is the only conference of its kind for LGBT & ally fraternity and sorority leaders, and offers students, faculty and advisors opportunities to share their stories of coming out in the Greek system, network with other LGBT & ally fraternity and sorority leaders, learn strategies to make their communities safer and more LGBT-friendly and more.

Download the full schedule for all the details(PDF), and check back here for updates over the weekend!

There's just one month left before Lambda 10 Project's OUT & Greek National LGBT & Ally Fraternity & Sorority Leadership Conference. The event is slated for Nov. 12-14 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

OUT & Greek is the only conference of its kind for LGBT & ally fraternity and sorority leaders, and offers students, faculty and advisors opportunities to share their stories of coming out in the Greek system, network with other LGBT & ally fraternity and sorority leaders, learn strategies to make their communities safer and more LGBT-friendly and more.

Featured keynotes of this year’s conference include “Reel Diversity” by Brian C.Johnson, “The Time Is Now" with Shane Windmeyer, The New Gay Greek” with TJ Sullivan and “Always Wear Your Head” with Tyson Wooters. Featured sessions include a “Tell Your Story” student panel of LGBT fraternity and sorority members, "Transgender 101" roundtable, “Safe Space & Inclusion in Fraternities and Sororities” by Bucknell University as well as “Bystander Behavior” with Mike Dilbeck. There will also be a special Advisors Track for Fraternity & Sorority Professionals and a showing of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt for conference participants.

Over three days on the Indiana University campus, registered participants can expect to learn, mold their leadership and change action plans and get to know other student leaders through fun, resourceful and detailed workshops, featured presentations, discussion groups, special events, national keynote speakers and more.

“There is no other conference nationwide that offers the resources, information and networking LGBT & ally fraternity and sorority leaders need to create change,”said Natalie Shaak, national conference chair. “Each participant will return from the conference with an action plan for change and leadership, ready to tackle challenges in their fraternities and sororities, on campus and in their communities.”

Registration is available online at www.lambda10.org/outandgreek/. Early bird rates are available until November 1. The early bird rate for undergraduate students is $185 and $215 for professional staff, advisors and graduate students. Registration includes all program materials, keynotes and entertainment during the three day conference. A special hotel block is available until October 18 in the Indiana Memorial Union Biddle Hotel & Conference Center. Scholarships are available online or by emailing [email protected].

The Lambda 10 Project, founded in 1995, works to heighten the visibility of LGBT members of the college fraternity and sorority by serving as a clearinghouse for educational resources and materials related to sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Lambda 10 is an educational initiative of Campus Pride, a national non-profit working to create safer, more LGBT-inclusive colleges and build future LGBT and ally leaders.

To date the sponsors of the conference include CAMPUSPEAK, the GLBT Student Support Services Office of Indiana University and the Bloomington Hotel and Convention Services. To learn more about Lambda 10 Project, visit www.lambda10.org. For more about Campus Pride programs and services, please visit www.CampusPride.org or email [email protected].

National LGBT civil rights leader, Campus Pride founder Shane Windmeyer kicks off his LGBT History Month National Campus Tour as IUPUI keynote and spreads his message against "bullying and harassment" to over a dozen colleges and universities across the country this Fall

(Indianapolis, Ind.) – Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride, the leading national non-profit working to build future LGBT and straight ally student leaders, is scheduled to keynote IUPUI’s Inaugural Harvey Milk Dinner on National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, 2010, 6:30 p.m., IUPUI Campus Center, Room 450C. The engagement kicks off Windmeyer's LGBT History Month National Campus Tour to over twelve colleges and universities this Fall.

Windmeyer’s visit to the university comes on the heels of a local bakery’s refusal to fill a special order for IUPUI’s LGBT student organization. What outrageous sweet tooth-soothing delight did the students request? Rainbow cookies and cupcakes. Despite the natural impulse to laugh at this confectionary controversy, Windmeyer says the discrimination doled out by this local business is no joking matter.

“LGBT people experience harassment and discrimination every day,” he says. “Sometimes the discrimination is outright, other times it is subtle. Either way, the discrimination is serious and always indicative of the hostile environments in which LGBT people must live, grow, learn and work.”