Page Six

THE MICHI&W DAILY

Thursday, September f, 1973

THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, September 6, 1973

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Confronting


*1

By JIM TOY
and JEAN HASLER
Gay Advocates
Editor's note: Toy and Hasler, the
lesbian advocate,sare both former
University 'students.
Bulldykel F a g g o t! Pansy!
Fairy! We often hear such terms
of contempt laid upon gay peo-
ple. Ann Arbor is one of tike few
cities in the U. S. where gay peo-
ple have made a step toward
freedom, but the oppression of
gay people continues here as
elsewhere.
Our oppression is social, eco-
nomic, legal, educational, medi-
cal, psychological, physical -

and this oppression demands an
advocacy for the rights of gay
people.
As part of its unique advocacy
program, the University employs
two people, a lesbian and a gay
man, as Gay Advocates. The
University administration, prob-
ably fearing public outcry and
economic sanctions from a con-
servative legislature, entitles
these employes "Human Sexual-
ity Advocates."
The Gay Advocates are work-
ing for a society in which sexual
preference is evaluated only by
the quality of the individual ex-

gay,
perience or relationship, so that
no form of sexual expression will
be suppressed or discouraged, so
long as it does not infringe upon
the rights of any person.
Elements of our action pro-
gram include advocacy itself, ed-
ucation, peer advising, organiza-
tional service, information ser-
vice, and outreach and liaison.
Advocacy means trying to help
the gay community voice its con-
cern about oppression and insti-
tute action to relieve this op-
pression.
FOR EXAMPLE, we helped

stereotypes

work on programs resulting in
the Ann Arbor City Council pro-
claiming a Gay Pride Week 1972.
This was the only such proclama-
tion in the U. S. by a legislative
governing body. A request for
such a proclamation in 1973 was
turned down by the council, pres-
ently dominated by Republicans.
We also helped bring about the
passage of local civil rights leg-
islation guaranteeing non-discri-
minatory treatment of gay peo-
ple in housing, employment, and
public accomodations within the
city, the first such legislation in
the nation.

At present we are in the midst
of a campaign to bring about the
amendment of a University Re-
gental by-law on non-discrimina-
tion to include protection for per-
sons of any sexual orientation
or marital status.
Such protection does not now
exist, and University employes
who are foundrout to be gay are
either fired or moved to "less
sensitive" positions (a term that
that University claims not to
have defined on paper). Many
gay students, especially those in
the medical, dental, and law
schools and School of Education,
live in constant fear that their
orientation will be discovered and
that they will be asked to leave
the University.
WE ARE TRYING to help both
gay and heterosexual persons
reach an understanding of gay-
ness not based on fear, myth, and
prejudice. We set up informal
and formal educational encoun-
ters both on- and off-campus and
help arrange conferences in
which gayness is a concern.
See ADVOCATES, Page 12

0

Seizing the lime

t
Yesterday's breezy, confident fashions for today'sI
easy style. Everything for men and women from
shirts, pants, hats and shoes to hand -engraved
belts and sterling finger rings -. -
1317 South Universityk

Problem-solving

for blacks

By RICHARD GARLAND
Black Advocate
Editor's note: Garland attended the
University's School of Social Work
between 1968 and 1970 and helped
establish the Association of Black
Social Work Students, becoming its
first chairman.
Active in the 1970 BAM strike
which forced a University commit-
ment to 10 per cent black enrollment
by fall, 1973, Garland also set up
what is now called the Minority
Counseling - InformationService.
Okay, so you're one of those
young, gifted, promising, excep-

tionally bright black students who
finally made it to the "Big U."
Let's suppose that this year you
come up with a very heavy prob-
lem that you need some help
with.
The first thing you'll probably
do is search the traditional of-
fices and minority supportive
services for assistance. But, what
if your problem doesn't'come un-
der any conventional heading,
and you discover that there is no

special place set up to deal with
your situation?
Well, don't despair! Come on
over to the Black Advocate's Of-
fice (340 Michigan Union or satel-
lite office at 214 Trotter House)
and see if we can't get you
straight or turn you on to some-
one who can.
We're a student service within
the Office of Special Services
and Programs specifically de-
signed to help black students
make it through this University.

YET, THIS OFFICE is unique
from all other minority suppor-
tive services. We look into many
of the problems and issues for
black students that others can-
not. Perhaps it will be clearer
what we can do if we first tell
you some of the things we have
done:
Conttary to popular belief,
racial discrimination still exists
and shows its face in many
places. The Black Advocate's Of-
fice has helped many black stu-
dents combat discrimination in
areas of employment, housing,
and even in the classroom.
For example, professors have
been known to stereotype black
students as capable of attaining
no higher grade than a "C." And,
for sure, don't sit together! After
all, we all look alike.
When necessary, we have also
aided students in bringing their
plights before the, courts. No,
we're not lawyers, but we can
tell you where to find some. We
also do not duplicate or replace
other established services, but
we can show you how to use
them.
NOT ONLY DO we assist stu-
dents with individual problems,
we also stand ready to help black
student organizations and groups
to initiate conditions for educa-
tional and social change.-
This office hopes you will join
one of these organizations and
become involved in University
affairs. One source of financial
assistance at our disposal for as-
sisting black organizations is a
non-reoccuring $10,000 fund with-

in the Office of Vice President
for Student Services.
This fund\is available as "seed
money" to finance activities that
black organizations wish to spon-
sor. Those organizations seeking
to obtain financial assistance
must first submit a proposal for
funding.
For many black students the
nightmare of getting dismissed
from school eventually comes
true. Getting re-admitted can be
a hassle (or maybe impossible)
unless you know how to go
about it.
WE'VE HELPED black stu-
dents examine their situations,
take corrective steps, petition the
Board of Admissions, and be re-
admitted to the University.
Our staff consists of myself
and several part-time student as-
sistants (an Advocate Assistant
and two staff assistants), who
are ready to help you any week-
day in the Union from 8:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
Our Trotter House office is
open for your convenience on
Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to
4, plus hours posted. Trotter
House facilitates some of the
social-cultural adjustments that
University life certainly requires.
The word "advocate" in our
title means "one that pleads the
cause of another." The Black
Advocate's Office would like to
"go to bat" for all black students,
but we can only do so if you in-
form us that a problem exists.
We are a tool for you to use in
whatever way you may need.

Y

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Daily Photo by KEN FINK,


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Women's office supports

organizations,

in ividuals

By CLAIRE JEANNETTE
Women's Advocate
Editor's note: Jeannette is a wo-
men's advocate both on the job and
outside her office having organized
around women's issues for years.
Coming from a secretarial back-
ground, she says she is "somewhat
proud of having not completed a
bachelor's degree."
Since its vocal inception several
years ago, the women's move-
ment in Ann Arbor has grown to
include a newspaper called Her-
Self, a Women's Crisis Center, a
Women's Community School, and
a variety of consciousness raising
groups.
Accompanying the early drive
toward solidarity was a bush for
a University office, the Women's
Advocate, that would be staffed
by and for women-an office wo-
men could trust for support in a
variety of areas.
Since its birth 2 years ago,
our office has changed emphasis
as .new University offices such
as the Commission for Women
and the Affirmative Action Pro-
gram have been established.
We have worked with these and
other local organizations both
during their early periods and

now on an on-going basis. For ex-
ample, we aided in the struggle
to get women into the Michigan
Marching Band by organizing
demonstrations and publicizing
the issue.
THE WOMEN'S ADVOCATE
Office helped file a sex discrim-
ination complaint against the
University and the Ann Arbor
Recreation Department for exclu-
sion of girls from certain sum-
mer programs. We also worked
with women's groups to bring
Gloria Steinem and Margaret
Sloan to campus for a fund-rais-
ing benefit.
OUR OFFICE RETAINS the
same supportive, pro-woman at-
mosphere emphasized 21/2 years
ago. We help individuals and
groups with strategizing around
particular problems and can pro-
vide some small funds when neo-
We've taken a pro-constituency
bent rather than a pro-Univer-
sity/status quo orientation. And
our door at 332 Michigan Union
is open. So stop by, or call us at
763-4187.

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MR. PIZZA
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