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Monday, Sept. 19, 2016
Northern Star
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Letter to the Editor
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Broadcast disappoints emeritus
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Robert Suchner Professor Emeritus of Sociology
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Makenna Pranchke | Northern Star
LGBTQ community at NIU needs more allies
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Progress has been made in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning acceptance on campus, but as October nears, which is LGBTQ history month, students should recognize the importance of continued awareness on issues members of the LGBTQ community still encounter.
About us The Northern Star is a limited public forum whose content is determined exclusively by its student editors. Information presented in this newspaper and its website is not controlled by NIU administration, faculty or staff. The Northern Star has a circulation of 10,000 Mondays through Thursdays. It publishes online at NorthernStar.info Monday’s through Fridays. A single copy of the Northern Star is free. Additional copies are 50 cents. Letters to the Editor Letters should not exceed 300 words and may be edited for clarity and brevity. The deadline for a letter is 4 p.m. one day before the desired date of publication. Submissions may be held due to space limitations. Letters written by students should include the author’s year and major. Letters should include a phone number where the author can be reached. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters may be submitted to Editor@NorthernStar.info. Advertisement policy The Northern Star does not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, handicapped or veteran status or sexual orientation. Nor does the Northern Star knowingly print ads that violate any local, state or federal laws. To place an advertisement, contact the Northern Star advertising team at 815753-0108 or ads@NorthernStar.info. To view advertising rates, go to NorthernStar.info/site/advertise/. Hiring Student employees must carry a minimum of six NIU semester hours and must have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or better. Students of all majors and experience levels are welcome to apply. Apply at NorthernStar.info/apply.
Perspective
“
I wish we had more gay-straight alliances in our public schools... We need to get together as a campus to do more.” Anne Petty Johnson Faculty advisor to PRISM
From what I have witnessed during my time at NIU, one’s sexual orientation does not seem to be a big issue among students. While it may surprise some that it would ever be an issue, this indifference towards sexual orientation is a far cry from my experiences in the early 2000’s as a closeted 18-yearold. This fear to come out is a sentiment Kyle Williams, freshman business major, does not see present here at NIU. “I feel comfortable being openly gay because, in all honesty, it feels like no one really cares,” said Williams. Being an openly gay student at NIU has not presented any obstacles for Williams. “I feel as though everyone is accepted here at NIU,” he said. Alex Forgue, senior physics major and president of NIU’s studentrun LGBTQ organization PRISM, echoes that sentiment but says NIU has more work to do in terms of LGBTQ outreach. “I feel that, in
general, NIU is a fairly accepting campus...being lesbian or gay is not seen as a major issue on campus,” said Forgue. “However, NIU does have a bit of ways to go when it comes to transgender people.” LGBTQ teens are still more likely to be the victims of bullying and physical violence than their heterosexual counterparts, according to an Aug. 12 Youth Risk Behavior Survey issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The amount of youth who admitted to having been in a physical fight was higher among gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, 28.4 percent, and not sure students, 34.5 percent, than heterosexual students, 21.7 percent, according to the same survey. “I think a major reason why LGBTQ still experience violence and bullying is due to lack of education,” said Forgue. The survey figures and Forgue’s words reflect the need for continued awareness on the struggles members of the LGBTQ community continue to encounter. The Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality is currently asking students to participate in a collaborative documentary project meant to examine the ways in which gender, race, ethnicity, economic class, sexuality, gender identity and other factors affect how safe people feel in the spaces around them.
“
...NIU does have a bit of ways to go when it comes to transgender people.” Alex Forgue President of student-run LGBTQ organization PRISM
A common misconception I have encountered, a misconception that still seems to exist, is the belief that being gay is a choice. This notion has been directed to me by non-LGBTQ individuals on
more than one occasion. I respectfully would like to inform students and others who think this notion is true that being gay was not a choice I ever made. This is one of the areas in which further education and clarification is needed. Anne Petty Johnson, faculty advisor for PRISM, says there continues to be a stigma against members of the LGBTQ community. “I wish we had more gay-straight alliances in our public schools,” said Johnson. These alliances can play a large role in educating nonLGBTQ individuals on what more can be done to help the LGBTQ community. Like Forgue, she also says that NIU has more work to do in relation to transgender students and implementing policies and practices that are universally inclusive. “We need to get together as a campus to do more,” said Johnson. As president of PRISM, Forgue is committed to doing his part to help combat any lingering stigma facing members of the LGBTQ community here on campus. “The first and foremost goal is to create a safe space for queer people and their allies,” said Forgue. “The next step is to educate people about queer issues.” I encourage all NIU students to get involved with LGBTQ history month in October and beyond. The Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality offers classes to earn certificates and minors so students can learn more about LGBTQ topics. These are not just LGBTQ issues, these are human rights issues. The fight for LGBTQ equality did not end with the nationwide legalization of gay marriage in June of 2015. It is only through continued education and involvement that further progress can be achieved. The Gender & Sexuality Resource Center on campus can provide information on LGBTQ issues and how to get involved.
I turned on CBS Sports Saturday Sept. 10 about 15 minutes before the time listed on the University of South Florida schedule available on the Internet — about 4:45 p.m. EDT, 5:45 p.m. our time. Not surprisingly, the University of Connecticut versus Navy game was still on. I watched to the end of that game, which went past the scheduled time for the start of the USF versus NIU game, and to my great surprise and delight, as the USF versus NIU game began, CBS Sports didn’t do the usual — either stay with the first game or switch to the second — they switched video to the second and kept audio on the first. What a wonderful idea! Providing both games in their entirety for the benefit of two, mostly nonoverlapping audiences. Regrettably, the wonderfulness didn’t last. Within minutes, the UCONN versus Navy game was over, but instead of switching quickly to the USF versus NIU game, CBS Sports stopped its overlapping broadcast and switched to audio and video of, first, post-game interviews on the Naval Academy field, and second, an extended post-game CBS Sports review of UCONN versus Navy plus video highlights of the Alabama game and a number of others, including, of course, commercials. Only then did CBS Sports switch to Tampa and the USF versus NIU game, only to enter on a pregame introduction and more commercials. By the time CBS Sports finally joined the USF versus NIU game already in progress, 5:05 minutes had expired on the game clock. This is aggravating, not just because I’m an NIU fan, but because the broadcast was such an insult to all us viewers. It was a variation on the numerous ways that providers of services put themselves before their customers, profit before quality of product delivered. I would hope that the NIU president’s office would take note of this and communicate to the Mid-American Conference its disappointment in such shabby treatment.
For more information All NIU football games will air on CBS Sports network, ESPN2 and/ or ESPNU, according to the NIU Athletics webpage. • • • • •
NIU versus Western Illinois 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 NIU versus Ball State Oct. 1 time TBA NIU versus Western Michigan on 5:30 p.m. Oct. 8 NIU versus Central Michigan on Oct. 15 time TBA NIU versus Buffalo 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 22