NAFSA Conference in Salt Lake City Could be a Sweet Experience

The location of Salt Lake City as the 2003 venue for a major education conference such as NAFSA requires some closer attention. At the last annual conference in San Diego, some SIG members asked themselves if we want to support and invest money in a c ity and a state that has a strong history that is unfavorable towards gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals. I believe there have been positive developments in Utah that NAFSA members should consider and should decide to sponsor and atte nd the NAFSA annual conference.

There is good news to report:

• In October of last year, the Salt Lake City School Board reversed the most extreme steps taken anywhere in the United States in preventing gay-supportive student clubs when it decided to change its policy and allow the clubs to meet at school. Thi s decision ended nearly five years of controversy, as well as two lawsuits brought on behalf of East High School students who had sought to form gay-supportive student clubs. The School Board now gives all students access, on a non-discriminatory basis, t o important non-curricular clubs that had been banned in 1996.

• The Mayor of Salt Lake City, Rocky Anderson, signed an order on April 4, 2000, prohibiting anti-gay discrimination against Salt Lake City employees.

• Weber State University in Ogden offers an annual monetary scholarship in honor of Matthew Shepard for three students at their institution who "openly support gay, lesbian and bisexual issues." In addition, awardees are selected because they "build awareness of the academic achievements and community service of sexual minority students as well as a more positive image of sexual minorities."

• The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah helps to organize the annual gay pride in Salt Lake City. Last year over 2300 people attended this fair sponsored by local organizations and businesses.

For example, the Community Center can give NAFSA a list of bars and restaurants that have a pro-gay policy. Similarly, NAFSA conference participants can initiate contact with local groups and help to sponsor an awareness campaign in Salt Lake City. A s ession proposal for Salt Lake City could include a speaker from the Lesbian and Gay Student Union from the University of Utah or a Matthew Shepard scholar from WSU. We also might encourage NAFSA to identify an all-conference plenary speaker, such as James Hormel, the first openly gay U.S. ambassador; Matthew Shepard's mother, Judy; or Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who recently introduced the Permanent Partner Immigration Act.