SIG Member Profile: Interview with Mark Thackaberry

Mark Thackaberry is Director of the International Student and Faculty Office at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Mark started in the Admissions Office at NIU. In 1973, he accepted a position as foreign student advisor at NIU to 60 students and is now director of an office that provides support and resources to over 1,000 foreign students and faculty. Mark is one of the first Lesbigay/Rainbow SIG members and will be retiring from NIU in December 2002.

Eero Jesurun: When did you start attending NAFSA? What was it like to be a gay NAFSA member then?

Mark Thackaberry: I have been going to NAFSA conferences since 1973 with the exception of one. In the 1970’s there was not a lot happening with gay issues at NAFSA and nobody talked about it openly. You did not want people to know that you were gay as a professional. At that time, the film “Boys in the Band” had produced a widely negative stereotype of gay people. [The NAFSA conference scene] changed in the eighties when some gay members who would bump into each other at local [gay] bars. Some members knew that others were gay or they suspected that they were gay, and there was a social scene of gay men. Women were not a part of this scene. I was fortunate since I work on a campus that is open to gay issues. I did not have a specific need to talk about them since there were already resources and support on my campus. On the other side, there were professionals [in the eighties] who came from small schools or Jesuit institutions where one did not even discuss gay issues. At the NAFSA conference, they had to be closeted and careful.

EJ: How did the first SIG meeting get organized?

MT: At the 1991 conference in Boston, there was the first social gathering at the home of a NAFSA member, who later died of AIDS. We were not an official group yet, but there was a distinct sense of wanting more discussion about the issues facing us in the field. The following year, I helped to organize a social event at the Chicago NAFSA conference at a friend’s house in the city. I remember we put up posters to announce it at the conference and people would tear them down. Scott King was the one who encouraged us to become a formal part of NAFSA and organize a SIG, so that we could be formally recognized by NAFSA. That happened the following year.

EJ: As an “out” professional, what else is different between then and now in your role as foreign student advisor?

MT: Many students and faculty (including foreign nationals) were dying of AIDS, in the early eighties. I remember we had a Ph.D. student from the Philippines who was diagnosed with AIDS. There was a group of 20 of us who collected money on a weekly basis to help this student while he was in the United States. Now this has changed. We enroll foreign students who have the HIV virus, but many of them are able to return to their countries after completing their studies. Times have changed.

EJ: What are some of the positive experiences you have had at NAFSA?

MT: When SIG members and others started to wear the rainbow stickers on their badges, there was a positive reaction of support from various people at NAFSA. This was a good feeling. In comparison to other national higher education associations to which I belong, NAFSA has allowed for more accessible channels to GLBT issues. At one point NAFSA had a gay president -- but there was an unspoken rule at the time: “There are things that you don’t talk about, but are obvious.” At another national higher education organization there was a lot more conservatism because members would compare the creation of a gay interest caucus the same as allowing ax-murderers to organize as a group. At NAFSA, I did not hear those kinds of comments when we created the SIG.

EJ: Is there a challenge being a gay administrator in the field of international education today?

MT: Yes, like any place, it depends on the politics of your boss. In many cases, religious motivation determines the attitude towards sexual orientation and the work place. It is subtler now. I know there are many openly gay advisors [in the U.S.], and it still bothers some of the students who they work with. Another concern is that not many women are coming out at NAFSA. This is worrisome.

EJ: Why did women have a seemingly marginal role in NAFSA when it comes to GLBT issues?

MT: The SIG currently has some very dynamic women, but they are mostly straight. Going back to the 1980’s, many of the women would not be the ones going to the gay bars [at NAFSA conferences] to meet other gays. Another reason was that some of the women were in relationships and did not seek out to socialize with other gay or lesbian NAFSA members. It’s just how it was at that time.

EJ: In 2003, the SIG will celebrate its 10th Anniversary when the NAFSA Conference is in Salt Lake City, Utah. Do you have any advice for those of us who will be attending this and future conferences?

MT: Going to Salt Lake City will be very interesting. You’ll encounter Mormon attitudes and some repression albeit that there are some nice bars. [The SIG membership] should be visible, especially when there are negative laws and attitudes. On the one hand, NAFSA should not go to cities that do not embrace diversity, but when it does, we should encourage visibility. There are gay people everywhere. SIG members should run for NAFSA offices and leadership roles. It is important that our voice is heard.