Indiana University, Bloomington. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services Office

The mission of the GLBT Student Support Services office is to provide information, support, mentoring, and counseling to members of the IU campus and the larger community. They seek to do that through networks, collaboration, education, and outreach in an attempt to create a climate where all members of the community are encouraged to promote and defend diversity.

Serious discussions about the formation of a campus support center for gays and lesbians began in the late 1980s. A task force was appointed in 1990 to gather information on such a center, and after three years of research members of the task force submitted a report formally recommending that such an office be created.

In the fall of 1994, the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Support Services office opened amidst both support and controversy. Transsexual would not be added to the office’s name until 1997. Doug Bauder, who is gay and an ordained minister, was hired to be the coordinator of the office. Bauder has held the position since its opening.

The office of the GLBT Support Services strives to be a resource center for all members of the Indiana University campus, not just those who fall under the GLBT label. The office contains a library of materials that focus on GLBT issues. It also serves as a center of education, collaboration, and networking for those interested in the GLBT community and promoting diversity on campus.