Sooner Ally, a campus organization dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students, has changed its name to LGBTQ Ally in an effort to clarify the organization’s mission of LGBTQ education and advocacy.
The name change came about after recent diversity issues brought up the possibility of other ally programs on campus. The new name gives specificity to the exact community the organization serves and attempts to eliminate any possible confusion about it.
“Sometimes I don’t think people really understood what a Sooner Ally was, but having LGBTQ in the name clarifies the purpose of the program,” said Kathy Moxley, the director of the Women’s Outreach Center.
The organization’s mission to foster social justice by advocating LGBTQ students has not changed with its name. LGBTQ Ally will continue to offer the same educational opportunities it did under the name Sooner Ally.
“We provide the educational aspect through LGBTQ Ally trainings, open to all students, faculty and staff,” said Kasey Catlett, assistant director of LGBTQ and health programs, “From there we also do specific [trainings] as well. So we’ll do greek ally for greek organizations that focuses on their needs, and then faculty ally for inclusive classroom teaching, RA ally for resident advisors, medical ally for the OU health science center at OU Tulsa campus. There’s lots of different educational opportunities for people to learn to be an ally.”
Prospective allies undergo a three-hour training session before signing a commitment form and receiving official ally status. However, ally training is open to all members of the OU community, whether they intend on becoming allies or not.
“Some people go to training just to learn and don’t feel comfortable being an official ally and that’s O.K. too," Moxley said. "We just want people to get the information.”
Education is just one part of LGBTQ Ally’s mission. Advocacy occurs on a more individual level with LGBTQ Ally assisting students in various processes ranging from adjusting to university life and navigating campus to coming out to friends and family. In more specific instances, individual allies can help establish a safer atmosphere for members of the LGBTQ community.
“When an individual in the LGBTQ community comes in, I try to give them a safe haven to come in and talk about whatever they want, to feel safe from judgment," said Tara McKelvy, a psychology intern and an ally at Goddard Health Center. "My job first and foremost is to have an open attitude to allow my client to be heard and for it to be a safe place.”
Current allies can pick up new pins, stickers and placards that identify them as LGBTQ allies from the Women’s Outreach Center in the Union. Individuals interested in gaining ally status or learning more about LGBTQ Ally and the community they serve at OU can sign up for training here.
“The important thing is that there’s representation, visibility and a community of support, recognition and affirmation at the university,” Catlett said.
