"Make it happy, make it snappy, make it gay!"
-Roger DeBris, The Producers

  

History

  
The University of Iowa's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied Union is more than 30 years old, making it one of the oldest campus lesbigay organization in the US. In fact, today it is the oldest state university recognized and continuously funded GLBTA student organization in the US.

The group was founded in 1970 as a direct result of the budding lesbigay liberation movement sparked by the Stonewall Rebellion. This was reflected in both the group's original name, the Gay Liberation Front, and its political stance, which placed the fight for lesbigay civil rights firmly alongside the struggles of African Americans and the women's liberation movement.

Over the last three decades, the changes in the Union's name and programming priorities have mirrored changes within the national gay and lesbian movements. Subsequent changes in political focus and a desire to be more inclusive inspired the GLF to change its name to the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA), then to the Gay People's Union; the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual People's Union and more recently to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Union. Finally, in late 2001, the name was changed to its current form, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied Union. With the name changes came changes in the group's membership as it began to represent the whole spectrum of the lesbigay, transgender, and allied community.

The organization has always had as its main priorities the support of lesbigay students and others in the Iowa City community and the education of the larger heterosexual population about the need for gay and lesbian civil rights. It sponsored the Midwest Gay Pride Conference in 1974, as well as potlucks, dances and the early Gay Pride celebrations (before a separate Pride Committee was launched). Representatives from the Union have gone to classes, churches and other community gatherings to speak about being gay, lesbian and bisexual for the last two decades.

In the 1980s, members of the GPU raised money for AIDS care and for survivors of same-sex domestic violence. They brought the tradition of a Coming Out Day rally to Iowa City. On a weekly basis, the group has provided social activities such as film showings, games, dances, dinners and other events which have given lesbigay and transgender students the opportunity to connect with each other. Additionally, the group has helped bring greater visibility to lesbigay people in Iowa City, as well as greater understanding and support. Years of lobbying by the Union and other campus lesbigay groups paid off in 1985, when UI President James Freedman approved a change in the campus human rights policy to include "affectional or association preference," thus giving gays and lesbians legal protection (and becoming one of the first universities to do so).

During the 1990s, the University has seen a variety of advancements, including the opening of a Sexualities Studies program in 1998, the first all-ages community Alternative Prom in 1999, and the first Rainbow graduation in 2000.

The new century brought our 30th anniversary celebration, a GLBT seat on the Student Senate, and the first state wide conference hosted by the GLBTAU. We can begin to list all of the achievements here, but we do find it important to note that change is still needed and hopefully the GLBTAU will be around for another 30 years and beyond!