By: Angelina Troche, Contributing Writer
Prism is not an acronym. But, there is a group on campus named after the geometric refracting figure.
Prism is the LGBTQ+ club concerned with making students feel safe, if and when they decide to discuss their sexuality. Their mission statement attaches itself to the core value held highest by the Benedictine Catholic Church: hospitality. It states, “to extend Benedictine hospitality to Saint Leo’s LGBTQ+ community and its allies.”
Dr. Chris Friend, assistant professor in Language Studies and the Arts, is the founder and biggest advocate for Prism. All he wants out of this whole experience is visibility, and support for those who are struggling with their identity. Whether it be coming to terms with who they are for their own benefit, or figuring out a way to be comfortable expressing themselves to others, Prism is the safe place to do so.
The club itself was established two years ago, and various meetings were held on campus to get the club up and running successfully. “The way we established [Prism] was really good at its’ core,” Friend said.
Prism is the LGBTQ+ club concerned with making students feel safe, if and when they decide to discuss their sexuality. Their mission statement attaches itself to the core value held highest by the Benedictine Catholic Church:
The challenge that came with operating an LGBTQ+ organization at a Catholic institution was mainly showing that both could coexist on campus at the same time without crossing a line in relation to each other. This opportunity came about through meetings involving the Director of Student Ministries, the Director of Student Activities, Dr. Friend, and an overall approval from the President, which at that time was Dr. William Lennox, Jr. Common ground and mutual interests were established from the get-go, and the rest, seemingly, was history.
Friend seemed more encouraged in moving forward with Prism due to the manner with which these meetings were conducted.
He made the point that this program would exist for the sole purpose of benefitting students, while also maintaining a comfortability for them on campus.
How could one not support a movement like that?
Another strong distinction made by Friend was the fact that Prism is all about identity and what that means to people in the LGBTQ+ community, not sex.
“We are going to talk all about identity, and we are going to welcome students into the University. We are not going to talk about sex. That is not our concern here. That line, that distinction follows Church teaching,” Friend said.
He explained that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops draws the line with specifically discussing sexual relations between those involved in the LGBTQ+ community, and Friend plans to stay away from the topic as well.
Sexual orientation and religious devotion, according to the Saint Leo professor, are not mutually exclusive and can work together to benefit the students on campus.
Working concurrently with Prism is a program dubbed “Safe Zone Allies,” implemented on campus during Spring 2019.
This training takes place once a month and is offered to students and faculty in different sessions. The environments for staff training versus student training is different because there are varying levels of comfortability with each relationship.
The topics touched on in the training are basically the same, just have different interpretations and responses for each group. Included in each Ally training, though, are exercises and “role-playing” situations demonstrating the emotions that those involved in the LGBTQ+ community may end up having to confront when coming to terms with their identity.
Being an Ally is not something that should be taken lightly. The training takes place once a month and is three hours long. During the sessions, emotional vulnerability is at an all-time high.
Friend even admitted to being moved while role-playing a potential scenario because he holds this program so close to his heart. His own personal struggles are why he feels strongly about the progression of being an Ally.
At the end of each session, those that feel they can handle the weight of being an Ally sign a contract stating that they will make themselves available if need be.
The responsibility that being an Ally comes with is heavy, and nobody should feel forced to be that person for someone if they don’t believe they can manage it.
“We don’t have to have three hundred students attending these meetings and becoming allies – if we have three hundred students supporting our mission. We are doing our jobs, even if only six people show up to our meetings.” Friend said.
The support for both Safe Zone Allies and Prism has been abundantly encouraging. From faculty and staff to students both on and off-campus, the feedback regarding implementation of these programs has been nothing short of positive.
“We have not met any resistance; we have not seen any backlash…students have been very supportive,” Friend explained. “I’ve been met with responses similar to, ‘I’m not able to participate because of x, y, or z…but I am so glad that this organization exists.’”
Some of these responses have even been from Friend’s online classes, so people that aren’t able to be on campus are showing their support, in spirit, because a safe place is needed for those silently struggling. Friend strives for visibility; he just wants to get the word out there.
“Seeing that we exist should allow them to feel safer and more comfortable and give them a place to go and a group of people that will welcome them in,” Friend said.
For example, a rising freshman who is part of the LGBTQ+ community may be looking for a school that openly acknowledges those students on campus.
Maybe a current student is questioning, right now, how out they can really be at Saint Leo without fear of something going wrong.
The connection to the Benedictine Catholic Church is intimidating at times because of the interpretations concerning sexual orientation and tradition as upheld by the church.
“We are doing that thing that Benedictines are good at doing, just in a way that they’re not known for doing [it]…we’re just continuing that tradition,” Friend said.
Friend does this for the benefit of those who may be fearful of coming out, those who may not know how to classify themselves, or for those who don’t know if they even want to classify themselves. He is offering a voice for those trying to find their own.
He hopes to get those involved in the trainings that want to be part of the support system for the LGBTQ+ community on Saint Leo’s campus.
He strives for a safe environment when attending regular meetings of Prism, as well, and hopes to see you there! The Prism meetings take place in Kirk Hall, Room 220, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. every other Tuesday.
