Difference between revisions of "Closets of a College Town"
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Dear "Old State" is generally held in high regard by its students; not only are they filled with Penn State pride - but moving to University Park campus gives many people their first opportunity to escape from home and experience the excitement of living on one's own. During the college experience, many students significantly advance their self-awareness and may explore their gender identities or sexual orientations. State College is a unique location for such self-exploration, as it has a very large population of young adults, many of whom are involved with groups that have been typified as homophobic, including a large military program, an impressive Athletics Department, and the second largest Greek system in the country.<br/> | Dear "Old State" is generally held in high regard by its students; not only are they filled with Penn State pride - but moving to University Park campus gives many people their first opportunity to escape from home and experience the excitement of living on one's own. During the college experience, many students significantly advance their self-awareness and may explore their gender identities or sexual orientations. State College is a unique location for such self-exploration, as it has a very large population of young adults, many of whom are involved with groups that have been typified as homophobic, including a large military program, an impressive Athletics Department, and the second largest Greek system in the country.<br/> | ||
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| − | The generalized 1-in-10 statistic suggests that nearly 4,400 undergraduates at University Park may be lesbian, gay, or bisexual. A 2005 Penn State survey indicated that 79% of students knew of at least one student who was openly LGBT, | + | The generalized 1-in-10 statistic suggests that nearly 4,400 undergraduates at University Park may be lesbian, gay, or bisexual. A 2005 Penn State survey indicated that 79% of students knew of at least one student who was openly LGBT - supporting that the general population is aware of the presence of LGBT communities at the University. Interestingly though, 33% of students had no friends who identified as LGBT and 64% had 2 friends or less who identified as LGBT - indicating that most Penn Staters do not develop personal connections to people who identify with LGBT communities. |
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| + | In the same survey, 69% of students reported being comfortable with individuals who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual and less than half were comfortable with individuals who identified as transgender. Importantly, while 67% of the general population thought the University climate was supportive, only 33% of LGBT students agreed. <ref name="Pulse">[http://www.sa.psu.edu/SARA/pulse/136-LGBTA-GISO.pdf] Penn State Pulse. Retrieved 11 April 2010, from <nowiki>http://www.sa.psu.edu/SARA/pulse/136-LGBTA-GISO.pdf.</nowiki></ref> | ||
Revision as of 12:00, 12 April 2010
Self-Discovery at The Pennsylvania State University
Dear "Old State" is generally held in high regard by its students; not only are they filled with Penn State pride - but moving to University Park campus gives many people their first opportunity to escape from home and experience the excitement of living on one's own. During the college experience, many students significantly advance their self-awareness and may explore their gender identities or sexual orientations. State College is a unique location for such self-exploration, as it has a very large population of young adults, many of whom are involved with groups that have been typified as homophobic, including a large military program, an impressive Athletics Department, and the second largest Greek system in the country.
The generalized 1-in-10 statistic suggests that nearly 4,400 undergraduates at University Park may be lesbian, gay, or bisexual. A 2005 Penn State survey indicated that 79% of students knew of at least one student who was openly LGBT - supporting that the general population is aware of the presence of LGBT communities at the University. Interestingly though, 33% of students had no friends who identified as LGBT and 64% had 2 friends or less who identified as LGBT - indicating that most Penn Staters do not develop personal connections to people who identify with LGBT communities.
In the same survey, 69% of students reported being comfortable with individuals who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual and less than half were comfortable with individuals who identified as transgender. Importantly, while 67% of the general population thought the University climate was supportive, only 33% of LGBT students agreed. [2]
Athletics and Tailgating
- Example incidents of alcohol-lubricated harassment and discrimination.
- Example incidents of alcohol-lubricated harassment and discrimination.
- ***Disclaimer: Videos may be loud and they contain sexual content, swears, and slurs.***
The following is a short documentary on sexual harassment at Penn State and was completed in 2007 as a project for a Women Studies class. Although the dialogue is specifically centered around sexual harassment, the video is representative of an average Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night in downtown State College. The video includes sexual language and harassment that may be offensive.
- <youtube>WzVYRdyY5rI</youtube>
The next video documents harassment at the Pike (Pi Kappa Alpha) Fraternity after a football game with Ohio State in 2007. The party is representative of an average weekend fraternity party at Penn State. Although the incident centers around school rivalry (and the victims are members of the Ohio State Pike chapter), the assault with full cans of beer and extensive verbal harassment could easily be construed as something more personal. The fraternity was suspended shortly after this incident. The short video contains swears and slurs against gender and sexual orientation that may be offensive.
- <youtube>jDiRPUiQZHc</youtube>
Fraternities and Sororities
Intersections with LGBTQA Communities
References and Sources
- ↑ Attributed to: George Chriss. "Old Main Building 2006." Photo. 7 July 2006. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0. Retrieved 18 February 2010, from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Penn_state_old_main_summer.jpg.
- ↑ [1] Penn State Pulse. Retrieved 11 April 2010, from http://www.sa.psu.edu/SARA/pulse/136-LGBTA-GISO.pdf.
- ↑ Attributed to: Rick Zhuang. "Homecoming Parade 2005." Photo. 28 October 2005. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0. Retrieved 4 March 2010, from http://farm1.static.flickr.com/32/57087024_766d9bc60d.jpg.
- ↑ Attributed to: Tina Hay. "Greek Sing 2009." Photo. The Penn Stater Magazine. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2010, from http://pennstatermag.com/category/campus-events/
Contact Information
Name: Eric V. Patridge, Ph.D.
Email: eric.patridge@gmail.com
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