The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Aggies (GLBTA) is an officially recognized student group at Texas A&M University. Originally known as Gay Student Services (GSS), the organization was officially recognized by Texas A&M University in 1985 after a lengthy court battle.
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In the spring semester of 1976, a group of Texas A&M students organized a gay support group. In April of that year Michael Minton, Michael Garrett, and Sherri Skinner approached John Koldus, the Texas A&M Vice President for Student Affairs, and requested limited recognition for an organization to support gay issues. The students did not want full university recognition, which included partial funding from student fees as well as official office space in the Student Programs Office, because several of their members wished to be discreet about their sexual orientation. Instead, the group requested only meeting space on campus and the right to post notices on school bulletin boards and in the student newspaper.[1] Koldus informed the students that the university did not offer limited recognition, and that to gain the access they had asked for the students must apply for full official status.[2] What followed was the lengthy court battle Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University. At the conclusion of the litigation, GSS was recognized as an official student organization by legal decision in April 1985.[3] Over the years, the name of the organization has evolved to be more inclusive. Today the GLBTA is an organization for queer people and straight allies alike where anyone is welcome to join regardless of how they identify.
The GLBTA is led by an executive council of democratically elected members. Elections are held at the end of the academic year, with special elections held for vacant seats during the academic year as needed. Elected positions include: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Social Chair, and Webmaster. The GLBTA also has a seat on the Graduate Student Council. This position is appointed by the elected officers of the GLBTA. These leaders make up the voting members of the Executive Council, and it is their responsibility to establish programming, set policy, and guide the organization to better serve its members. The organization also has up to two advisors who hold non-voting seats on the executive committee. The Advisors are selected by the elected leaders of the GLBTA each year.
The GLBTA hosts weekly meetings that provide an opportunity for members to socialize, learn about the history and current issues affecting members of the GLBT community, and organize outreach efforts within the Bryan-College Station area.
In April 2010 and 2011 on the National Day of Silence the GLBTA partnered with Atticus Circle to bring the Fine By Me t-shirt project to the Texas A&M campus. Each year, the GLBTA was able to fundraise enough money to give away 1,000 t-shirts bearing the phrase "gay? fine by me."[4][5]
The GLBTA has participated in many activities designed to engage and educate citizens of the broader Bryan-College Station area about the GLBT community. The GLBTA has officially participated in MSC Open House, The Big Event, and the Day of Silence. The organization has also occasionally set up a table in Academic Plaza, where they distribute information on upcoming activities.