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Prof. Chandler Davidson, Rice University president David Leebron, Mayor Annise Parker, Patrick Lukingbeal, and Brian Riedel.

On October 4, in conjunction with Rice University’s Centennial Celebration, the Rice Ally Program and the Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality (CSWGS) hosted “100 Years of LGBTQ History at Rice.”

A brief historical presentation was made highlighting the journey Rice University has taken in supporting and advocating for the LGBTQ community. Rice, as an institution, has made several groundbreaking policies, including domestic partner benefits for its staff, as well as gender-neutral housing for students.

In the 1970s Dr. Chandler Davidson was approached by a female student at Rice University about becoming the faculty adviser for the newly forming LGBT student group. Though Dr. Davidson is not gay, none of the LGBT faculty known to the students were willing to take on the roll. Dr. Davidson consented and the Rice Gay/Lesbian Student Group was formed. The female student who originally approached Dr. Davidson all of those years ago, as it turns out, was Mayor Annise Parker. Patrick Lukingbeal is the program specialist at the Wellness Center at Rice, and responsible for running Rice’s Ally program. He is also the co-chair of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators GLBT Issues Knowledge Community.

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