The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, Septemher 3, 2008 - 7A
TOY
From Page 1A
but it kickstarted a lifetime of ac-
tivism and advocacy.
"At the meeting, we found a doz-
en other women and men just as
energized, frightened and hopeful
as I was," Toy said.
It was with that group that Toy
co-founded the Detroit Gay Liber-
ation Movement. He later opened
a local Ann Arbor Gay Liberation
Front in 1970.
Toy said the decision to start the
group didn't require much deep
thinking.
"Someone said to me, 'There's an
office on campus for women stu-
dents and for black students; Don't
you guys want an office?"'
Six months after Toy applied
for one, he co-founded the Univer-
sity's Lesbian, Gay Male Bisexual
Programs Office, now called The
Spectrum Center. He went on to
lead the center for 24 years and
worked with the office of Institu-
tional Equity for an additional 14
years.
Scott Dennis, with whom Toy
founded the first gay youth group
in Ann Arbor in 1978, attributes
much of the University's gay rights
KROLL
From Page 1A
related questions.
But apart from Bishop's com-
ment that the RNC "was defi-
nitely back to normal" - despite
the much-anticipated Gustav
hitting land earlier the same day
- the two men were noncom-
@ mittal and their only displays of
emotion amounted to longing
looks back toward the chattering
din and clinking of glasses inside
strides to Toy's work.
"We have such a big and well-
developed office at Michigan be-
cause of the many years that he put
in," he said. "There is no question
that people tried to eliminate that
office and Jim was one of those
people who was able to be diplo-
matic in the face of hostility and
hatred."
Among the things Toy says have
made him proud: seeing two male
friends walking down the side-
walk holding hands and a pair of
additions to the University's non-
discrimination clause.
Toy said seeing his friends hold
hands was gratifying because it
wouldn't have occurred without
gay rights advocacy. The nondis-
crimination clause additions - put
in place in 1993 and 2007 by Uni-
versity regents - added gender
identity and gender expression in
the school bylaws. Toy and others
had pushed for the changes for 21
years.
Although he is no longer an offi-
cial faculty member at the Univer-
sity, Toy said he'll stay as involved
as he was before his "retreading."
Dennis called Toy's retirement
"a mere formality."
"He will never retire," said Den-
nis. "He is tireless. His dedication
to his causes is going to continue
the club.
As soon as it started,I thanked
Bishop and Bouchard for their
time and headed in the direction
of some other nightclubs.
Yet after walking around
downtown Minneapolis, and
being denied entrance to simi-
lar RNC-themed parties, I have
to agree with the bloggers over
at PoliticalPartyTime.org, who
reported: "Sen. John McCain
had made a pitch that events be
turned into hurricane fundrais-
ers. However, these appeared to
forever."
Toy's career will be recognized
on Nov. 12 during the Spectrum's
Center "Celebration of Liberation."
But that honor isn't what motivates
him.
"One memory that is so gratify-
ing and so humbling is that some-
times years after a student has been
in therapy with me, he would come
back to campus and come by the
office and say, 'I want you to know
if it had not been for you and the
office, I would have killed myself,'
" Toy said.
Toy himself said he has much
more work to do, noting thathe and
others will continue to fight to add
sexual orientation, gender identity,
and gender expression to the state's
nondiscrimination policy.
Jackie Simpson, director of The
Spectrum Center, said Toy's retire-
ment wouldn't silence his advo-
cacy.
"Without his inspiration, sup-
port, passion, and resilience, our
movement on campus and beyond
would be significantly different,"
said Spectrum Center Director
Jackie Simpson. "Jim's influence
will continue and even though he
has decided to be a retired staff
member, we know his voice as an
advocate for LGBTQ and Ally peo-
ple will remain as loud as ever."
be the same parties that would
have occurred, hurricane or not
- opportunities for corporate
sponsors to schmooze with mem-
bers of Congress and convention
goers."
With Gustav looming, McCain
said on Sunday that Republicans
should "take off our Republican
hats and put on our American
hats." This may have temporarily
been the case. The Republicans's
partying hats weren't far from
hand.
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