People are more willing to talk about LGBT issues at USU, program coordinator says
When Brooke Lambert became the USU LGBT program coordinator four and a half years ago, she said many people in Cache County didn’t know what LGBT meant.
Since then, the United States has legalized same-sex marriage. Many people are pushing for open bathroom laws and anti-LGBT-discrimination laws, creating a strong dialogue about these issues worldwide.
Now, Lambert said most USU community members know that LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, and they’re willing to discuss it.
“You know, one of the biggest differences I’ve seen in the last few years is that people are just way more willing to talk about LGBT issues,” Lambert said. “Four and a half years ago it was something that people didn’t really want to talk about, or they were uncomfortable talking about it.”
She said the school’s LGBT ally program has nearly doubled since 2012, and the support makes LGBT community members feel safer.
“People are more willing to come out now,” she said. “They feel safer. They feel like they have the support that they need. Because more people are willing to come out, everybody kind of knows somebody. Once you are able to put a face to the LGBT community, I think people are way more willing to reach out and say, ‘What can I do to make it better?’”
And USU has become more sensitive to LGBT needs. In 2015, the university opened the Aggie Recreation Center, which has the school’s first-ever gender-neutral locker room. Lambert worked with the architect and pushed for the room to be built.
This year, the university will allow students to use their preferred names on class roles and school identification cards instead of their given names. Lambert said these changes are advantageous to transgender students because they don’t have to ask their professors to change their names. She said some transgender students find that confrontation uncomfortable because
She is leaving USU this year for a new position in the LGBT office at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She says she will miss USU, but she’s looking forward to her new job.
This is Brooke Lambert is 2012, shortly after she was hired. She’ll be leaving soon to work at the Univeristy of North Carolina Wilmington.
Lambert’s favorite part of being LGBT program coordinator was seeing students gain confidence and get involved.
“Seeing somebody who’s just now come out and they’re a little nervous, and then two or three years down the road they’re confident, they feel good about themselves, they’re doing all of these wonderful things,” Lambert said. “That’s definitely the best part of the job.”
The hardest part of Lambert’s job, she said, was to see students struggle.
“Maybe they don’t have the support at home, or they feel like their identities aren’t being validated at home. That’s devastating sometimes to hear what they’ve been through.”
After she leaves, she hopes the university will continue to have a strong social program for LGBT students so they can find friends and support. She hopes the university will continue to promote events like transgender awareness week the week of November 20, which is transgender day of awareness. She wants the program to grow and eventually get a bigger space.
Lambert did her undergraduate and graduate degree at USU. She’s lived in Logan for 13 years.
“It’s a great place. I’ve been here a long time,” she said. “Utah State and Logan is always going to have a special place in my heart. I really hope that things continue to move forward in a positive direction.”