*******IMPRESSIONS*******
We began with a discussion of people's impressions of Tuesday's "Coming Out Stories." The event itself was quite a success, judging by the amount of people who came and shared their stories long into the night, and the diverse array of backgrounds and experiences that were discussed was at once eye-opening and inspiring.

****QUEER BAR NIGHT****
...is coming up!! Next Thursday, Oct. 20th at 9pm in Lone Pine!! Sean proposed the idea of making multiple versions of the poster (a color one and a black-and-white one). We will need help in the coming days to distribute these posters all around campus, so be on the look-out for a "volunteers needed" blitz.
The theme remains "Masqer8", and Tiger volunteered to help Mikey shop for decorations over the weekend. We also need people to come on Thursday, the day of the event, at 4pm to help decorate the room. Lucky, Leah, and Raymond were our principle volunteers. Please feel free to stop in and help on Thursday as well.

*****KATRINA RELIEF*****
Mikey had the amazing idea of selling hot chocolate and cookies in front of Robo during the homecoming bonfire in order to raise money for NYAC's LGBT Katrina Relief effort. This may conflict with the free food being given away in Collis during the event, but we will be persistent. David Ong and Lucky volunteered to spearhead the sale!

******BIG MEETING*******
The Big Meeting, an open forum discussion over a specific topic that the GSA and other organizations come to discuss, will probably be held on Nov. 9th, although the date is still tentative. The topic of "Gays and God" was decided upon with no objections. We will try to hold it in the Hillel Roth Center. The discussion, regarding how religious issues meet up with LGBT community members, should be intense but extremely enlightening. We will invite religious leaders to attend so as to not bias the discussion.

*****DISCUSSION*****
Shinen kicked off a recap of last week's discussion on homophobia in the greek-system by posing some evocative questions. "What IS homophobia? What is its definition, and does it occur on campus?"
The follow up question of whether members would feel comfortable walking around campus holding hands with a person of the same sex/gender was also posed. Many members said yes, but not entirely, and some proposed that the comfort would be found in knowing they were being defiant. The point was made that such defiance should not even be an issue, and the mere fact that it is felt is evidence of homophobia on campus.
The discussion wrapped up with the point that whether or not there IS hatred on campus is not the issue-- PERCEIVED hatred exists, and that's what's important. What can we as a community do to help perceived/existing hatred? Does it stem from a lack of understanding and a tendency to cling to gender stereotypes, and if so, what can we do to increase awareness? The discussion shall continue.

Great meeting everyone!!! Please be available to help with Queer Bar Night coming up, and we'll see you next Wednesday, same time and place. Have a GREAT weekend!

-Peter
************GSA************
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