Jaleesa Jones

Louisiana State University joins the list of universities striving to make their colleges more LGBT-friendly.

This fall, the university launched a new, 18-credit-hour LGBT minor program.

Elaine M. Maccio, an associate professor in the School of Social Work, designed the program.

“A few years ago, I recognized in LSU’s curriculum a paucity of courses on sexuality in general, and a gap regarding LGBTQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer – topics in particular,” Maccio said in an e-mail.

“Since a number of colleges and universities around the country already have courses, minors, majors and even entire departments and research centers dedicated to LGBTQ topics, I knew LSU needed to have something similar if we wanted to remain competitive,” Maccio said.

Maccio ran a pilot of the program’s core course – Introduction to LGBTQ Studies – last fall to gauge student interest. Maccio then pitched a proposal curriculum and received approval from the Faculty Senate Courses and Curricula Committee last November.

Damon Andrew, dean of the College of Human Sciences & Education, said the minor courses derive from multiple disciplines – from sociology to political science to theatre.

Maccio said the courses also seek to examine LGBT issues through multiple lenses, including race, religion, class and disability.

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“We can’t examine sexuality and gender identity in a vacuum,” she said. “Everyone claims multiple identities, and it’s that intersectionality that adds to the richness and complexity of who we are as individuals and communities.”

While LSU is not the first school to institute a LGBT-related program, the addition of the minor represents progress for the Baton Rouge, La. university.

Jordan Krebsbach, a senior communication disorders major, says she was excited to see a university-sanctioned program tackling LGBT issues.

Krebsbach, who identifies as a cisgender lesbian, says the program presents a learning opportunity not only for students who identify as straight, but for LGBTQ students as well.

Krebsbach is currently enrolled in Introduction to LGBTQ Studies.

“The class is absolutely amazing and so educating,” she said. “As a member of the culture, I’m amazed at how little I knew about LGBT history.”

Krebsbach also says the discussion-based course offered a formal space to discuss LGBTQ issues, combat ignorance and broaden student perspectives.

Even so, LSU’s campus remains more liberal than surrounding communities, says Julianne Martin, a junior biology major.

“Coming to LSU was the first time I was able to truly be myself,” she said.

Martin shared that her sexuality was the center of gossip around her high school before she finally came out as pansexual her senior year. Teachers even disclosed the rumors to her parents before Martin chose to come out.

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Martin says there was a stark lack of support for LGBTQ people in her hometown.

“I felt like there was no one else I could turn to outside of my immediate friends,” she said.

Now president of Spectrum – a student-led, LGBT support network – Martin says she hopes the minor will promote and reinforce understanding and empathy for LGBT populations.

“To me, education is one of the best things that can be done on any group that is oppressed,” Martin said. “I think that much of hate comes from a lack of what people don’t understand and, rather than trying to do some research on it, many people would rather just respond negatively because it doesn’t fit ‘the norm.’”

Courtney Murr, a sophomore natural resource ecology and management major and secretary of Spectrum, agreed that the program could help dispel confusion surrounding LGBTQ communities.

As a bisexual, cisgender female, Murr says she is particularly hopeful that the program will enlighten students about the fluidity of sexuality and gender.

“If someone has been in an environment where there is only an emphasis on being straight or gay, or male or female, learning about non-monosexual, non-binary identities can be confusing,” she said. “I think having the discussion in the first place is important.”



Jaleesa Jones is a senior at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.