In college, Massey, who is gay, helped organize a student demonstration on the chapel steps before Butterfield's speech to let students know their lives didn't have to follow the same direction as hers. He also helped to create a group called Refuge, designed to be a safe space for struggling students, he said, adding that he received pushback from the school administration. It took months, for example, to get a flier approved for the group because the school didn't want LGBT used on it, he said.