GU Pride

GU Pride is a student organization for LGBTQ students at Georgetown. Founded in the 1970s and formerly called Gay People of Georgetown University (GPGU), the organization successfully sued for University recognition throughout the 1980s.

Origins

In March 1973, the University denied a student group called the Gay Georgetown Students official recognition1. The club, however, was allowed to organize unofficially and it rebranded itself as the Gay Georgetown Community2.

In 1979, the student senate and the Student Activities Commission both agreed to officially recognize Gay People of Georgetown University3 (GPGU). The administration, however, denied the club recognition4, setting off an extended battle over recognition. In one letter, Father Henle, the president of Georgetown at that time, wrote "Last year a small group of professed homosexual students requested that the university recognize their group as a legitimate student activity at Georgetown...We will continue to refuse to do it."5 In response, GPGU sued the University under the District of Columbia's Human Rights Act of 1977, arguing that its denial of recognition violated antidiscrimination laws6. During this period, GPGU members woke up in the early hours of the morning to put up posters on 10-foot ladders so no one could rip them down.7

Lawsuit and Recognition

While the club could not receive official University funding, it remained active on campus, often advertising its events in The Hoya. Judge Sylvia Bacon ruled in favor of Georgetown, on the grounds that Georgetown as a Catholic Institution is exempt from the 1977 Act. GPGU officially appealed the decision and the lawsuit reached the D.C. Court of Appeals in 1985 with oral arguments taking place in October 19858, 9.

In January 1986, then-Dean of Student Affairs Jack DeGioia denied GPGU's request to host a dance, citing Georgetown's Catholic identity10. Stacey Plaskett (SFS '88), the future House delegate from the US Virgin Islands, supported University funding for GPGU, in her 1986 campaign for GUSA executive office11. Later that year, the Leavey Center's planned opening date was postponed partly due to the ongoing GPGU lawsuit; D.C. mayor Marion Barry would not approve bonds for the project due to Georgetown's decision on GPGU12.

On July 31, 1985, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of GPGU, and argued that the University must recognize the group. Georgetown appealed the decision. In November 1987, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that Georgetown must treat GPGU the same as other clubs. In a poll taken after this verdict was announced, 57 percent of Hoyas agreed with the Court's decision.13

GU Pride Formation and Activities

GPGU underwent several name changes and reorganizations in the early 1990s. The club rebranded as the Gay and Lesbian Student Association (GALSA) by spring 199214, later changing the name to BiGALSA. In September 1992, a group called One in Ten Hoyas led by Darin Dew (MSB '94) left BiGALSA after objecting to the organization's political stances15. The clubs had reunited by the end of the academic year, however, merging to form Georgetown Pride16.

In 1986, the Vatican issued "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Person," which affirmed the rights of same-sex oriented people and condemned violence against LGBTQ people. This, alongside GU Pride's tireless efforts, contributed to more open and tolerant discussions on campus. In 1994, Georgetown added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy.

In 2001, a working group proposed the creation of a resource center for LGBTQ students and a full-time resource coordinator17. While the university appointed a part-time coordinator in 2002, it initially declined to create a resource center18. In response, GU Pride lobbied for the University to fully implement the working group's recommendations19. In 2004, the university created an Office of LGBTQ Community resources to support students with a part-time coordinator.20 After hate crimes against LGBTQ students in 2007, GU Pride pushed for a forum with President DeGioia21. DeGioia committed to creating an LGBTQ resource center22, which opened the following year and was the first such center at a Catholic university in the US23.

GU Pride has historically held various National Coming Out week events and has helped host OUTober programming, a celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month, alongside Georgetown's LGBTQ Resource Center and other campus organizations such as GU Queer People of Color24. GU Pride also hosts a range of events throughout the school year, such as open mic events and an annual performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show25.

• 1"Gays Meet To Decide Future Plans." The Hoya. 6 April 1973.
• 2"Gays Meet To Decide Future Plans." The Hoya. 6 April 1973.
• 3Quinn, Gloria. "Senate's Chartering of Gays Overturned." The Hoya. 9 February 1979.
• 4Quinn, Gloria. "Senate's Chartering of Gays Overturned." The Hoya. 9 February 1979.
• 5Henle, R,J. "GU and Homosexuals." April 11, 1974.
• 6Fernholz, Tim. "Georgetown searches for its pride". The Georgetown Voice. 18 October 2007.
• 7Freiberg, Nancy. "Out on the Hilltop." Georgetown Magazine. 2008. p. 42.
• 8Keyes, Robert J. "We Are Not Going to Go Away." The Hoya. 6 September 1985.
• 9Valle Schlafly, Anne. "Dance Sparks Campus Furor." The Hoya. 31 January 1986.
• 10Valle Schlafly, Anne. "Dance Sparks Campus Furor." The Hoya. 31 January 1986.
• 11"Beckman And Plaskett." The Hoya. 21 February 1986.
• 12Donesa, Chris. "Leavey Center Delayed Three Months." The Hoya. 29 August 1986.
• 13Cannella, Dave, and van Loben Sels, Chris. "Campus Reacts to GPGU Decision." The Georgetown Voice. Nov 23, 1987.
• 14Ireland, Duncan W. "Club Is Consistent With University Aims." The Hoya. 1 May 1992.
• 15Guthrie, Dana. "BiGALSA and One in Ten Hoyas Unite." The Hoya. 6 April 1993.
• 16Guthrie, Dana. "BiGALSA and One in Ten Hoyas Unite." The Hoya. 6 April 1993.
• 17Fernholz, Tim. "Georgetown searches for its pride". The Georgetown Voice. 18 October 2007.
• 18Redden, Molly. "What's a Hoya? Jack DeGioia." The Georgetown Voice. 29 October 2009.
• 19Fernholz, Tim. "Georgetown searches for its pride". The Georgetown Voice. 18 October 2007.
• 20Freiberg, Nancy. "Out on the Hilltop." Georgetown Magazine. 2008. p. 35.
• 21Mays, Kate. "DeGioia agrees to Pride demands." The Georgetown Voice. 25 October 2007.
• 22Mays, Kate. "DeGioia agrees to Pride demands." The Georgetown Voice. 25 October 2007.
• 23LGBTQ Resource Center, About Us. https://lgbtq.georgetown.edu/about-us/.
• 24Cuccia, Annemarie. "Georgetown Students Celebrate OUTober." The Georgetown Voice. 8 November 2019.
• 25Cuccia, Annemarie. "Georgetown Students Celebrate OUTober." The Georgetown Voice. 8 November 2019.