Over the Rainbow, Yet Under the Church
Shannon McClone
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Features
While some students and faculty may agree that student organizations should align with the Catholic social teachings, there are also other organizations on campus which do not always fit as neatly into the traditional Catholic values yet still remain prominent and respected groups on campus. One such group is "Rainbow Alliance," which provides education and advocacy in support of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) individuals and issues at St. Norbert, as well as in the local and larger communities.
Ally Coordinator of Rainbow Alliance, Ryan Pavlik'09, described the challenges the group faced before becoming recognized as a student organization: "There was plenty of debate, including opposition, but also support-it's an incorrect conclusion that Catholic implies anti-LGBT. For sure, there are those factions in the hierarchy, and groups of believers sharing those views, but there's also sizable groups of the faithful who not only support Rainbow Alliance, but can argue in favor of it on the basis of faith. Of course, that sentence permits the assumption that if someone isn't out or stereotypical, they're straight and so there must be no LGBT Catholics-which is patently false."
When asked about Rainbow Alliance and its role in the college's mission, Scholz stated, "Groups like Rainbow Alliance are not in line with the traditional Catholic views; however, I believe that given the right direction these types of groups are useful to the broadening of the students' knowledge base and important in the foundation of a student's beliefs. For that reason, I believe that these student organizations are in line with the mission of the college."
Pavlik also echoed this sentiment about the value of a liberal arts education as a means of exploring different social issues and inequalities: "I think that attending a liberal arts institution of higher learning requires grappling with things that may make some of us feel uncomfortable some of the time. It's hard to grow if you never feel uncomfortable, because discomfort (ideologically, morally, intellectually) can point out contradictions and those arguments that we'd rather avoid lest we be forced to reconsider our attitudes. This seems like an easy argument, if our liberal arts education has been sticking with us. In the end, our college's dedication to community and human dignity requires that we do this work, and we must ask the hard questions, build the visibility and take the risks."
Ally Coordinator of Rainbow Alliance, Ryan Pavlik'09, described the challenges the group faced before becoming recognized as a student organization: "There was plenty of debate, including opposition, but also support-it's an incorrect conclusion that Catholic implies anti-LGBT. For sure, there are those factions in the hierarchy, and groups of believers sharing those views, but there's also sizable groups of the faithful who not only support Rainbow Alliance, but can argue in favor of it on the basis of faith. Of course, that sentence permits the assumption that if someone isn't out or stereotypical, they're straight and so there must be no LGBT Catholics-which is patently false."
When asked about Rainbow Alliance and its role in the college's mission, Scholz stated, "Groups like Rainbow Alliance are not in line with the traditional Catholic views; however, I believe that given the right direction these types of groups are useful to the broadening of the students' knowledge base and important in the foundation of a student's beliefs. For that reason, I believe that these student organizations are in line with the mission of the college."
Pavlik also echoed this sentiment about the value of a liberal arts education as a means of exploring different social issues and inequalities: "I think that attending a liberal arts institution of higher learning requires grappling with things that may make some of us feel uncomfortable some of the time. It's hard to grow if you never feel uncomfortable, because discomfort (ideologically, morally, intellectually) can point out contradictions and those arguments that we'd rather avoid lest we be forced to reconsider our attitudes. This seems like an easy argument, if our liberal arts education has been sticking with us. In the end, our college's dedication to community and human dignity requires that we do this work, and we must ask the hard questions, build the visibility and take the risks."
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