OSU students support gay marriage equality

PHOTO: front page headline in Oregon State University student newspaper by Don Iler, "ASOSU supports same-sex marriage, House passes resolution calling for federal government to end same-sex marriage bans," OSU Barometer, May 24, 2012, p. 1. (See previous post Gay frat boy's election shows progress toward equality at OSU (5/2/12) for another example of student support.)

I noted earlier that the student newspaper wrote an editorial just before President Obama came out in support of gay marriage equality. I chalked it up to a coincidence, but the student newspaper jokingly took credit in a piece by the Editorial Board, "On the editorials...," OSU Barometer, May 24, 2012, p. 4 that said, "We're rather modest when it comes to considering our reach and influence; we rarely show any sense of pride. But after President Barack Obama came out in support of gay marriage - declaratively - the day our editorial criticizing him for wavering on the issue was published, we can't help but feel good. This was no coincidence; it was our notoriety. It's clear our thoughts mean something to someone."

Some other related links:

• Don Iler, "Resolution passes in favor of same-sex marriage, In a long meeting, senate also passes resolution calling for Middle Eastern Cultures Center," OSU Barometer, posted May 23, 2012
• Kathleen M. Greaves, Ph.D., "LGBT attitude versus perception," OSU Barometer, posted May 23, 2012 -- the student's favorite sex educator weighs in on how heterosexuals also flaunt their heterosexuality just like some gay pride participants do.

OSU Pride Week flash mob and Dr. Sex on is gay normal

PHOTO: Oregon State University Pride activities were featured in a front page photo by Vinay Bikkana, "Flash Mob," OSU Barometer, May 8, 2012, p. 1.

Also, the question if homosexuality is a mental disorder was covered in the weekly column by "Dr. Sex," who teaches sex education at OSU: Kathleen M. Greaves Ph.D, "Dr. Sex Column: On whether homosexuality is abnormal, Queer Pride Week," OSU Barometer, May 9, 2012, p. 4-5.

Coincidentally, the student newspaper Editorial Board, "Come on out Mr. President," Barometer, May 9, 2012, was printed on the same day that President Obama came out for gay marriage: Rick Klein, "Obama declares support for gay marriage," ABC OTUS News. posted May 9, 2012

See my previous post Gay frat boy's election shows progress toward equality at OSU (5/2/12) for an ad for OSU Pride week that ran next to my letter.

Gay frat boy's election shows progress toward equality at OSU

PHOTO: OSU frat boy Dan Cushing runs for office and comes out as gay on the front page of the student newspaper. See article by Don Iler, "From the closet to candidate, A vice presidential candidate's journey in coming to terms with himself, his sexuality," Barometer, Apr. 27, 2012, p. 1, 3 and Amelia Harris and Dan Cushing, "Guest Column, Cushing, Harris -- problems of today, goals for future," Barometer, Apr. 27, 2012, p. 4. For more on his election, see the article by Don Iler, "Harris, Cushing win ASOSU presidential elections," Barometer, posted online Apr. 27, 2012, printed Apr. 30, 2012, p. 1. Also see the editorial Editorial Board, "Please restore competence to ASOSU," Barometer, Apr. 30, 2012.

PHOTO: The Oregon State University student newspaper editor's page layout for my Thomas Kraemer, "Letter to the editor, On Dan Cushing's 'coming out' National, OSU gay progress," Barometer, May 2, 2012, p. 5. The editor placed my letter right next to the annual OSU Pride event advertisement and opposite the student's favorite "Dr. Sex" column written by the OSU instructor of the popular sex-ed class at OSU. I would love to take credit fort his editorial decision, but I swear it was actually unplanned and uncoordinated by me -- I only wrote the letter in response to the original article. (See OSU pride events at facebook.com/OSUPride2012 and Dr. Kathleen M. Greaves Ph.D., "What constitutes abstinence, different concept of virginity," OSU Barometer, May 2, 2012, p. 4-5)

The April 27, 2012 front-page "Coming Out" story of Oregon State University student Dan Cushing running for student body vice president, demonstrates the heart-warming progress made since 1971, when the University of Minnesota Law student Jack Baker became the nation's first openly gay student body president.

Unfortunately, gay marriage equality was barred by law at this time. In 1972, Jack Baker famously took his gay marriage case to the U.S. Supreme Court and lost. However, he and his partner still consider themselves to be married today.

The gay activism of Baker and other brave pioneers inspired the formation of the first officially recognized gay student group at OSU in 1976. Unlike many other colleges, OSU administrators willingly approved it.

A history of progress toward equality achieved by gay people at OSU can be linked to from the OSU Pride Center's webpage or at the OutHistory website here: goo.gl/BQhv2 .

OSU's history includes a gay OSU Beaver football player over a hundred years ago and the more recent OSU alum, Esera Tuaolo, who became a professional NFL player until he retired.

Also summarized is the history of OSU's gay research on the popularly called "gay" fruit flies and sheep. I have set up a multi-million dollar OSU Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld Fund to sponsor similar research concerning humans or animals with a minority sexual orientation or gender identity.

Equality is a virtue that crosses political party lines. The present day gay Log Cabin Republican organization was founded decades ago by Professor W. Dorr Legg, who taught at OSU in the 1930s.

I hope to be alive when today's students can go beyond just coming out and they achieve true equality.

Thomas Kraemer
OSU Electrical Engineering Class of 1977

(Quoted from Thomas Kraemer, "Letter to the editor, On Dan Cushing's "coming out" National, OSU gay progress," Barometer, May 2, 2012, p. 5)

See by Thomas Kraemer, "Corvallis, Oregon State University gay activism 1969-2004," posted April 30, 2010 or via the shortened URL goo.gl/BQhv2 is hosted by outhistory.org

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There have been some mainstream books and organizations for gay fraternity brothers. This subject is especially touchy because there is a whole genre of gay porn that centers on the homoeroticism of frat brothers. (See previous post OSU 'Greek Pads' features fraternity house Phi Delta Theta (2/1/12) and e.g. a video titled "Fetish Stories: Frat Boys") No matter what your opinion is about fraternity college boys, it is nice to see a few come out and show that their sexual orientation doesn't stop them from being treated equally in the Greek system.

PHOTO: May 18, 1970 Michael McConnell and Jack Baker were married by Hennepin County Minnesota Justice of the Peace. (See previous posts Life Magazine gay marriage 1971 (11/20/08) and Gay marriage pioneer Jack Baker starts blog (confirmed) (4/4/12))

OSU Moo U reputation confirmed by front-page story

PHOTO: Oregon State University's "Moo U" reputation is confirmed by the a student newspaper front-page story by Amanda Antell, "No crying over spilled milk here, OSU's Dairy Farm has been training students for over 100 years in dairy principles," Oregon State University Barometer, April 23, 2012, p. 1, 3 (with correction made April 24).

I refer to the actual cows seen on campus in the history I wrote to describe student life at Oregon State University. Cows, at least for now, have no direct link to gay activism history at OSU, but cows do fit in with the long agricultural history of OSU, which was formerly named the Oregon Agricultural College, and the conservative rural students OSU has historically attracted compared to more liberal city students who choose other state colleges. (See Thomas Kraemer, "Corvallis, Oregon State University gay activism 1969-2004," outhistory.org)

Speaking of loosely related topics (supposedly a sign of schizophrenia) it appears that Oregon State University also ranks well in the return-on-investment for students who pay for a college degree at OSU. This fits the types of majors that I mentioned in my history, such as engineering majors who often paid well after graduation. (see "Special Report: College Investment: Does It Pay? College costs are up, graduate pay is down, and 40 percent of students never get a degree. For many, return on investment is a cruel joke," BusinessWeek, April 23-29, 2012, p. 51 and see more accessed online Apr. 25, 2012, at www.businessweek.com/collegeroi) -- See businessweek.com interactive table Page 18 of 25 for the 2012 ranking of Oregon State University Public (In-State) Rank 229 out of 1248

Also note that there is a separate listing for Oregon State University Public (Out-Of-State), Rank 267 out of 1248, because tuition costs much more for out-of-state students, which makes their ROI much less. Of course, either ranks is very respectable, but I bet OSU is skewed high by the fact that OSU has many science and engineering students whose degrees command much higher salaries than your typical philosophy major. (Please accept my apology, but I couldn't resist making another loosely connected reference to the OSU gay frat boy philosophy major who was just elected to be student body vice president after coming out on the front-page of the student newspaper. See Don Iler, "From the closet to candidate, A vice presidential candidate’s journey in coming to terms with himself, his sexuality," Barometer, Apr. 27, 2012, p. 1, 3 and Don Iler, "Harris, Cushing win ASOSU presidential elections," Barometer, Apr. 30, 2012, p. 1)

The data also shows that OSU has the following statistics:

• Graduation rate 60 percent
• Undergraduates receiving grant Aid 57%
• Average Grant aid $5713
• Net Cost to Graduate $59,510
• 30-Year Net ROI including aid 294,900
• 30-Year Net ROI including aid for graduates only 491,500
• Annualized ROI 10.2

The footnote says, "The ranking was prepared by PayScale and is based on self-reported pay data obtained through its online salary survey tools; on average, pay reports from about 1,000 alumni from each school were used in the return on investment (ROI) calculations. The schools are ranked according to the 30-Year Net ROI, which represents the typical earnings of a graduate (in excess of those of a high school graduate) in 2012 dollars after deducting the net cost of the degree and adjusting for the school's six-year graduation rate. (An unadjusted ROI for graduates only is also shown.) The net cost of the degree is based on the total cost of attending the institution (including tuition & fees, room & board, and books), minus the average grant aid award, and the percentage of students who graduate in 4, 5, and 6 years. Annualized ROI is the percentage of ROI received each year after graduation; it is based on the 30-year net ROI, net cost of the degree, and annual wage inflation of 3.8 percent. Data: PayScale, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System"

OSU God vs. gay speaker

PHOTO: a speaker at OSU, Jay Michaelson who doesn't feel that being gay and being religious are in conflict with each other, is featured in a front page story by Katja Kozber, "God versus Gay author Michaelson speaks about religion, being gay, Michaelson's talk explored the relationship between religion, those who identify as LGBT," OSU Barometer, Apr. 20, 2012, p. 1, 3.

The story said, "The event was put together by OSU softball coach Kurk Walker." I am sure the women softball players on his team were very supportive of Kurk.

I am glad to see a new generation is ready to take over from the work of Rev. Mel White, Rev. Troy Perry and others who have worked to bring religion to gay people in an affirming and positive manner. Until recently at OSU, there were too many preachers at OSU trying to use God to "help" students "pray away the gay" with unethical ex-gay therapy programs. (For an example that predates gay-friendly student groups at OSU, see the history by Thomas Kraemer, "Corvallis, Oregon State University gay activism 1969-2004," at OutHistory.org.

PHOTO: Ex-gay meeting notice: "How can a trend toward homosexuality be reversed?" (Barometer, Jan. 28, 1976, p. 2, predated the formation of gay-friendly OSU student groups. In Oct. 1975 an Oregon State University Experimental College classes on homosexuality included "Sexual Stereotypes in the Bible" with Instructor: Eric Landau, who represented the then anti-gay campus religious organization Westminster House. (See previous blog posts Doctors on homosexuality 1962, Doctors on homosexuality 1950 and the book "Anything But Straight," by Wayne Besen )

Tax errors and fraud should be reduced by automation

PHOTO: A letter from Congressman Peter DeFazio responded to my IRS ADA complaint by starting a Congressional investigation on the matter. He had read the letter to the editor by me, Thomas Kraemer, "IRS ignores plea for help," Gazette-Times, Feb. 5, 2012, p. D5. (See previous posts IRS tax forms are not low vision accessible and violate ADA law (2/5/12) and Congressman Peter DeFazio responds to my IRS ADA complaint (2/19/12)

I thanked Rep. Peter DeFazio in a later letter to the editor and I shared my experience with trying to get my taxes done by a Certified Public Accountant who made several errors:

Before the April 15 tax filing deadline, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from my U.S. Rep. Rep. Peter DeFazio. It said he had initiated a congressional investigation into the allegations I made in my Sunday, Feb. 5, letter to the editor, "IRS ignores plea for help."

Briefly, for no technical or financial reason, the IRS "free file fillable forms" electronic filing process doesn't provide equal access to taxpayers with the very common disability of low-vision blindness.

Last year, my vision deteriorated enough to notice this illegality.

Consequently, to make sure my tax return was filed correctly, I decided it would be wise to hire, for $250, an established certified public accounting firm.

Due to my low vision, it took me hours to catch only one of the errors made by my CPA. These errors almost caused me to pay a penalty I didn't owe and thousands more in taxes. Such errors are common according to Consumer Reports.

The root problem here isn't an incompetent CPA or web designer. It is that Congress has not mandated nor fully funded the IRS's efforts to reduce errors and tax fraud by automating the data collection and calculation of everyone's taxes.

Furthermore, Congress should require it to be implemented on a publicly accessible IRS computer, instead of by private companies with conflicts of interest, so it would be auditable by Congress.

Thomas Kraemer, Corvallis (April 7)
Corvallis

(Quoted from Thomas Kraemer, "Mailbag: DeFazio looks into it," Gazette-Times, April 22, 2012, p. D5)

UPDATE: the editor ran next to my letter: "Editorial: The mother of all mandates," Gazette-Times, Apr. 22, 2012, p. D5 that talked about Obamacare, taxes and automation of your taxes in the information age -- a nod to the point of my letter.

Student paper features 'cruising spot' at Oregon State University

PHOTO: Oregon State University student newspaper front page story by Don Iler, "Trysting Tree a history of Love: Storied cruising spot for young lovers at OSU honored as state heritage tree during ceremony," OSU Barometer, Apr. 9, 2012, p. 1,3.

I'm old enough to recall the original century-old Trysting Tree that was replaced decades ago and so I appreciate that it is still stimulating students at OSU today. However, I had to laugh at the apparently unintentional double meaning of the headline calling this tree a "cruising spot for young lovers at OSU" because historically there have been many guide books to "gay cruising spots" to seek out quick and anonymous gay sex in a public setting, such as a park, under a tree, or other wooded area.

In the 1970s the favorite gay cruising area in Corvallis was along the Willamette River banks, which at the time were unimproved and overgrown with bushes, which made it a good spot to cruise for sex, hook up and leave without anybody noticing.

Seeking anonymous sex in a cruising spot was an idea that was roundly rejected by younger gay activists who at the time felt this was only done by closeted gay men who were ashamed of being publically out. Later, gay AIDS activists justifiably denounced cruising for anonymous sex as a public health hazard.

In bad weather, the type of men who cruised for sex in public parks would go indoors to one of the notorious "tearooms," which were typically out-of-the-way public restrooms that had a reputation for getting a quick blow job from the anonymous guy in the adjacent stall. OSU had active tearooms in the top floors of the library and the upper floors of the MU.

Of course, the Trysting Tree had a nobler Victorian-Era romantic notion associated with it than the homosexual's idea of seeking quickie anonymous sex. Perhaps, modern day gay marriage activists could use the Trysting Tree to demonstrate that gays can fall in love too and marry too just like heterosexual college students have been doing for ever.