The decision my partner and I made in 2004 to leave our home and jobs in Michigan so that I could take a job at UAB was not an easy one to make.  I had lived in Michigan all of my life, and Jean, my partner of nearly twenty years, had lived there for eighteen.  Just a month before making the decision to move, I had interviewed over two days with the faculty and staff in the Department of Justice Sciences for a faculty position teaching criminal justice courses.  Though I thought the interview went well, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be living and working in the heartland of the South at age fifty-one.

If there was a single factor that drew me to the UAB campus, it was the warm welcome I received from the members of the Department of Justice Sciences.  Though I traveled to the interview by myself, it was clear from my initial interactions with department members that I was a lesbian and, if offered the position, would be moving to the Birmingham area with my partner.  If there was objection or resistance to this, I had no inclination of it either during or after the interview.   In fact, department members were quick to inquire about my partner, asking what she did for work and what her other interests were.  Nearly everyone shared information about where they lived, and why they thought their particular neighborhood would be a good place for Jean and me to live.  I came away from the interview feeling welcomed and wanting to know more about UAB and the Birmingham area.

When I returned to Michigan following my interview, I began to explore the UAB website for indications that the broader University would be as welcoming as I knew the people of Justice Sciences to be.  This was an important issue for me and my partner, as we had long-established relationships in Michigan that supported us in many aspects of our lives.  Coming to UAB would mean leaving the day-to-day support of those relationships behind in favor of living and working in a different culture.  I cannot overstate the challenge we felt moving to an area of the country that was so culturally different from our own, where we knew virtually no one, and where the differences in regional dialects were evident in each and every interaction we had.

In our search of the UAB website, we discovered the spouse/partner relocation program within Human Resources.  Jean made e-mail contact with the program, and was provided with a substantial amount of information and guidance regarding potential employment opportunities at UAB, as well as at a variety of hospitals in the surrounding area (Jean is an R.N.).  Utilizing this information, Jean was able to secure an interview and subsequent employment within weeks of my being offered the position at UAB.  When she was asked by the human resources manager at the hospital where she works what brought her to Alabama, she reported that her partner had taken a job teaching at UAB, and that “she” would be teaching criminal justice.

In addition to finding the spouse/partner relocation program on the UAB website, we also found the Safe Zone program.  This program, along with the “mandatory” diversity training for all employees were important symbols of UAB’s commitment to creating a diverse environment for all students, faculty and staff.  We also found reference to the Gay/Straight Student Alliance (of which I am currently a co-advisor), and we were both encouraged to see a formal student organization addressing the needs of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) students on campus.  In addition we found reference (albeit somewhat remote) to the Faculty/Staff Alliance, an organization that addresses concerns of GLBT faculty and staff.  Early participation in all of these organizations at UAB served to provide me with a “home” that other organizations on campus could not, and each, in their own way, has nurtured my body, soul, and mind.  All three of these organizations have served to connect me to diverse individuals who share similar concerns about living and working as a lesbian in the south, where the GLBT population has been slow to gain the same rights afforded other minority populations.

Despite being nourished by my involvement in Safe Zone, GSSA, and the Faculty/Staff Alliance, I remain struck by what isn’t present at UAB, despite consistent reference by the University administration to the importance of a diverse campus.  Noticeably absent from the menu of benefits available to me as a faculty member is the availability of insurance coverage for my partner.  Even though we have been in a committed relationship as long as or longer than anyone else in our department, we are still denied the right to have her covered as an Other Eligible Individual under my health insurance policy.  Since Alabama is a state that fails to recognize the legality of our relationship by not allowing us to wed, she cannot be considered a “spouse” and is therefore denied eligibility for coverage that other faculty spouses are provided. While some may believe that this is simply an example of indifference on the part of UAB administrators, I believe it sends a clear message of inequality.  Thus, no matter that employees are required to attend mandatory diversity training; we are either committed to treat all people with the respect and dignity they deserve, or we are not.

Similar to the lack of equal access to benefits, I am concerned about the lack of a Center for GLBT students.  Recognizing the unique challenges faced by GLBT students, many other tier one research universities provide a central location that serves as an educational and referral source for the University.  It also serves as a safe space where GLBT students are free to gather and express themselves as they attempt to reach their full potential as students, and in a broader sense, as human beings.  Given the discrimination and prejudice GLBT students experience simply because of who they are, the importance of such a space cannot be overstated.

Three years have now passed since I first came to UAB.  Maybe it is I who has made the adjustments that make living in the south not just bearable but enjoyable.  For example, when I first arrived in Birmingham, it was always a mystery what I would end up with in my order at the drive through at Taco Bell.  No matter how clearly I said “Two soft tacos deluxe, no meat, extra tomato”, I always came away with something different each time I ordered.  Ordering at the counter inside made no difference.  It has taken me three years and maybe just the hint of an Alabama accent, but I can finally get the order the way I prefer it.  And although I still haven’t developed my ear well enough to understand what it is going to cost me, I am confident that, in the end, it will be without meat, just the way I ordered it.  I say if the staff at Taco Bell and I can come to some middle ground on how to get fed, surely UAB administrators and I can continue to work toward a solution to the hunger I feel for equitable treatment for all GLBT faculty, staff and students.

(Article reprinted by permission of the author.  Mischelle Stone is a Professor in the UAB Justice Sciences Dept.)

Officials from a suburban Massachusetts school district asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two couples who claim their parental rights were violated when homosexuality was discussed in their children's classrooms.

U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf did not immediately issue a decision in the case from Lexington, but peppered lawyers on both sides with questions and said he understood the importance of the case to both parents and school administrators.

Tonia and David Parker sued after their 5-year-old son brought home a book from kindergarten that depicted a gay family. David Parker was later arrested for refusing to leave his son's school after officials would not agree to notify him when homosexuality was discussed in his son's class.

Another Lexington couple, Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, joined the Parkers in the suit after a second-grade teacher read "King and King" to her class. The fairy tale tells the story of two princes falling in love.

Both couples claim Lexington school officials violated their parental rights to teach their own morals to their children.

The case has attracted a great deal of attention in Massachusetts, the only U.S. state that allows same-sex marriage.

John Davis, an attorney for Lexington school officials, argued in court Wednesday that teaching diversity is a "legitimate state interest." He said that it would be "an administrative nightmare" for schools in Massachusetts to try to predict when the topic of gay marriage will come up and to inform parents ahead of time.

"The parents do have rights ... but they don't have the right to dictate to the public school system what their children can be exposed to in the way of ideas," Davis said.

Robert Sinsheimer, an attorney for the parents who filed the lawsuit, called the homosexual discussions and materials "a form of propaganda" that goes against the parents' religious beliefs. He said the parents do not want to dictate curriculum, but do want to be able to remove their young children from classrooms when homosexuality or gay marriage is being discussed.

"What they fear is that their children are being brainwashed," he said.

About 30 people on both sides of the issue demonstrated outside the courthouse.