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The Daily OrangeSuper Queer
Ball State University student creates gay superhero to advocate for LGBT rights
By Julia Terruso
Posted: 3/6/08, 12:54 AM EST Section: News
Annie Russell is a graduate assistant for LGBT programs and services at Bowling Green and the advisor for Dietsch's LGBT group, "Vision." She said she admires Dietsch's boldness and is especially impressed with the dialogue Superqueer has sparked on campus.
"When she's running through the student union as Superqueer, she starts conversation and they're not negative, Russell said. "They're really based upon 'who is this woman?' What is she doing and what does that mean? I'm impressed that she has the strength to put herself out there in that way."
Bowling Green is a "pretty accepting environment," Russell said. But while the two LGBT groups on campus work hard to support students, Russell said that doesn't remove "the reality of heterosexism that students deal with every day."
Joseph Aufenthie is a student at Bowling Green and the president of Transcendence, the other LGBT group on campus. He said Superqueer's presence is one students can't ignore.
"Superqueer is good for the school because I think it puts a focus on queer issues," Aufenthie said. "People don't think about terms like 'that's so gay' or what it's like to be queer. Jen reminds them that we do exist, and we are visible."
Amit Taneja is the associate director of the LGBT Resource Center at Syracuse University. He is also a graduate of Bowling Green University, where he found few resources and little support for the LGBT community.
"Queer voices were often isolated, ignored, marginalized in different ways so it doesn't surprise me that students have taken a visible stance in a way that doesn't let people ignore their existence and their importance," he said.
Taneja said the fact that Dietsch decided to create Superqueer tells a lot about how hard it is for queer voices to come to the forefront.
"By putting it out in such a visible manner, she's not allowing people to be silent," he said.
jmterrus@syr.edu
"When she's running through the student union as Superqueer, she starts conversation and they're not negative, Russell said. "They're really based upon 'who is this woman?' What is she doing and what does that mean? I'm impressed that she has the strength to put herself out there in that way."
Bowling Green is a "pretty accepting environment," Russell said. But while the two LGBT groups on campus work hard to support students, Russell said that doesn't remove "the reality of heterosexism that students deal with every day."
Joseph Aufenthie is a student at Bowling Green and the president of Transcendence, the other LGBT group on campus. He said Superqueer's presence is one students can't ignore.
"Superqueer is good for the school because I think it puts a focus on queer issues," Aufenthie said. "People don't think about terms like 'that's so gay' or what it's like to be queer. Jen reminds them that we do exist, and we are visible."
Amit Taneja is the associate director of the LGBT Resource Center at Syracuse University. He is also a graduate of Bowling Green University, where he found few resources and little support for the LGBT community.
"Queer voices were often isolated, ignored, marginalized in different ways so it doesn't surprise me that students have taken a visible stance in a way that doesn't let people ignore their existence and their importance," he said.
Taneja said the fact that Dietsch decided to create Superqueer tells a lot about how hard it is for queer voices to come to the forefront.
"By putting it out in such a visible manner, she's not allowing people to be silent," he said.
jmterrus@syr.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jennifer Dietsch
posted 3/11/08 @ 3:46 PM EST
I just wanted to note that the school is Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green Ohio, Ball State University is a school in Indiana and to the best of my knowledge, there are no gay super hero's there. (Continued…)
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