Double Reception A Success

Double Reception A Success


More than one hundred persons attended the Welcome Back and "Love Makes A Family" Reception last month. Held in the Graduate Student Lounge in Philosophy Hall, the reception both ushered in the 1996-97 academic year, and launched a month-long showing on campus of the twenty-two piece photograph-text exhibit "Love Makes A Family: Living in Lesbian and Gay Families."

The reception opened with a brief welcome by Robert Bromfield, GABLES convenor, who thanked Larry Dais, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and Director of Community Affairs, for joining GABLES and LBGTC as sponsors of the exhibit. Bromfield also thanked Frank Susa, chair of LBGTC, for his tireless efforts in working with Family Diversity Project, owners of the photo-exhibit, in bringing the exhibit to Columbia. Bromfield further thanked Janet Blackwell, Director of Student Services for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, for graciously allowing the exhibit to be shown in the Graduate Student Lounge, and Mike Susi and his partner Sean Sawyer, Miguel Melendez, and Trevor Dawes and his partner Misha Grigoriev for volunteering their time to hang the exhibit.

Following Robert Bromfield's opening remarks, Frank Susa introduced the reception's special guests, Michael Elasser and his two sons (by adoption) Justin and Zachary, who are one of the families featured in the exhibit. Elasser's partner Doug Robinson was unable to attend because of a prior commitment. Elasser spoke about raising two sons, and the mental and emotional adjustment both he and his partner underwent in terms of defining themselves not only as a family, but as gay partners. In particular, Elasser shared anecdotes about the consciousness-raising efforts required on the part of the local public schools in which his sons are enrolled. A relatively innocent homework assignment to describe one's family became an educational experience for the boys' teachers and school. As a result, the school made curricular changes to be more inclusive of the diverse family arrangements from which students come.

Several lbgq groups were represented at the reception. Speaking on behalf of these groups were:

Wayne Steward of Gay Health Advocacy Project (GAP)
Carolyn Lovejoy of Columbia-Barnard Lesbian Bisexual Gay Coalition (LBGC)
Eliza Byrd of the Queer Studies Group (formerly Lesbian and Gay Studies Group)
Jason Klein of Gayava—the Group for Columbia's Jewish Queers
Frank Susa of Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Community at Teachers College (LBGTC)


Community News -- October 1996