With the divided Massachusetts legislature debating gay marriage, the issue is difficult for Bostonians to ignore. The momentum has been building and a historic decision will soon be made.
At Boston College, students are keeping up with the shifting times. The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community (LGBC) at BC has remained active throughout the years and last year, BC officially recognized the Allies.
The Allies, as cited in their mission statement, are a club dedicated to advancing "understanding of issues, concerns, and needs regarding sexual orientation among undergraduates at Boston College." On the path to achieving this mission, events are organized and speakers are invited to campus.
The most recent of these speakers was Gregg Cassin, founder of the Appalachia program and BC '80. Cassin is gay and a father. He has also been diagnosed with HIV.
Cassin was well received at BC. After speaking to the Appalachia Volunteers on Feb. 8, he spoke again to an open forum on Monday night, sponsored by the Allies.
He emphasized the power of stories connecting people, and conveyed the message that people grow through experiences. In keeping with those themes he shared many of his personal stories.
He spoke of his time as a student at BC, during which he was closeted the entire time, and when he spoke to a counselor at BC, she responded by saying that "she would make him straight."
He told the story of coming out to his parents and he reflected on how he came to the place in his life where he is now. Cassin then spoke about his daughter Breauna.
The mother of his daughter was going to have an abortion, but her best friend convinced her to have the child and allow him to raise her.
Eventually, Cassin and his former partner became fathers of Breauna. Cassin said that he never expected to have the opportunity to become a father, because he expected to die.
Cassin was very interactive with the audience, asking questions, inviting and welcoming comments and feedback, and asking the audience to participate in small activities that allowed reflection and thought.
Along with sharing his stories, he had a strong message for those who came to hear him. He stressed the importance of "joining together to break the sense of isolation."
Perhaps the strongest message was to get to know and become happy and confident with oneself.
One quotation that embodied this message was, "Loving and accepting ourselves is the basis of every spiritual path."
Cassin is involved with many awareness and support programs. He is the co-chairman for AIDS Medicine and Miracles, a non-profit organization.
Its mission is to "promote the well-being of people confronting AIDS through educational programming that supports the mind, body and spirit" according to their official website.
The group accomplishes this through retreats and support, as well as through spiritual opportunities and therapies.
Cassin travels to schools to speak upon request. He is also an artist, but his first and foremost occupation is taking care of his daughter.
This event was organized over the previous month, when Dan Leahy, a campus minister, notified Gil Forbes, president of the Allies and A&S '05, that Cassin would be present on campus to speak for the Appalachia program.
They persuaded Cassin to stay an additional day. This was the first event this semester sponsored by the Allies.
Forbes said that the Allies likes "to kick off the semester with a personal experience." Allies has hosted a number of events since their founding.
Their first event was an alumni panel discussion. The discussion featured homosexual graduates from four different decades.
Allies also hosted a film festival, co-sponsored by BC Hillel. Another event was a visit from James Alison, a Catholic theologian and author.
Leahy attended BC at the same time as Cassin, but they were put in touch recently by Grace Cotter Regan, executive director of the Alumni Association.
This was the first time Campus Ministry and Allies cosponsored an event.
When Leahy was asked about his reaction to the event he replied, "It was a fun playful event, and it was a very safe event. He helped us to celebrate the diversity among us."
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