The university will present its second conference for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in early March, which will include events and topics such as suicide prevention, networking opportunities, community outreach and a surprise group activity.

“This conference can bring forward the realization to TCU and others that this type of community still exists,” Jamal King, senior social work major and regional associate director of programming and education for the South Western Association of Gay-Straight Alliances, said.

TCU Gay Straight Alliance, along with Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services, Student Affairs and SWAGSA, worked together to create the weekend-long conference. 

“At TCU, people don’t care as long as they don’t see it,” GSA member and sophomore mathematics major Tony Stripling said, referencing the TCU community’s approach toward LGBT.

Stripling said he also hoped that the conference would open people’s eyes to the diversity in the gay community.

Last year, GSA kept the conference local and invited area schools such as SMU and UTA. This year, however, Kansas State and Arizona State, among other schools, already confirmed their attendance.

The previous conference was a “pilot conference,” Eric Russel, regional director for SWAGSA, said.

“Although the GSA has seen big strides on the TCU campus, hopefully hosting the conference will allow TCU to look and realize that our community needs more immediate benefits and attention,” Russel said.

This year’s conference would be headlined by keynote speaker Shane Windmeyer. Windmeyer is the founder and executive director of Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization that helps students establish safe campuses across the nation.

“Bringing visibility toward LGBT community and bringing forward pressing issues in our society are important topics that often go quietly, especially in Southern culture,” Windmeyer said.

He said he recognized the Southwest region’s lack of a regional conference in comparison to the rest of the United States.

With an anticipated crowd of more than 175 people this year, King said he encouraged all members of the TCU community to attend. Membership in GSA is not required to attend the conference on March 1-3.

LGBT Leadership
Conference 2012
When: March 1-3
Cost: Free to all students
More information: http://swagsa.weebly.com/conference.html

Correction: This story originally attributed Thomas Hale, but source is actually Tony Stripling.